Sand Sister
by Wolf Flower
Summary: OC SandSib/ What if there was a fourth sibling that housed the five-tails? What would it cause? The trials of Gaara's younger sister are as she struggles to find her place as a sister, a shinobi and a friend in a world that doesn't seem to want her.
1. Prologue

Chapter 1

A/N: Hello there! I have finally decided to write an actual story. I hope you like it and that it's not too long. It will be a while before I update, so for those of you who actually like it, I am sorry and please be patient. Thank you.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto or any related stuff blah blah blah. I do own Kiri though. She is my original character :D

My name is Kiri. I am the youngest daughter of the former Kazekage, the leader of the Land of Wind. My father was a horrible and treacherous man; he is the one to blame for me not knowing my late mother. Of course, country and military must come first. Heh. Just thinking that makes me laugh. It's exactly the kind of thing he would say. He had attempted--in vain, I might add--to create a demon that would flatten all other countries' defences. Had he not learned from his previous trial-and-error?

_Flashback_

"_Temari-nee?"_

_The sand-haired girl looked down at her sister, whom she was putting to bed, "Yes?"_

"_Why does everyone hate niisan so much?"_

_She was unsure of what to say for a minute._

"_Well," she began, adjusting the little girl's blankets, "Gaara…is not human."_

"_What do you mean? Of course he is! He's just like us!" protested the younger._

_Temari sighed._

"_You'll understand when you're older. Now get some sleep." She said softly._

_End Flashback_

My sister wasn't quite sure what to say to me back then, but how do you tell your little sister that her brother is some monstrous demon? She was right though, I did understand, but not until much later.

_Flashback_

_"Miss Kiri! Please stop!" the servant called after the girl._

_"I wanna see them before they leave!" the running twelve-year old replied._

_She continued down the deserted streets of Suna, farther away from her caretaker. The sun was peeking over the horizon as her bare feet slapped along the dirt road towards her siblings. At last she spotted them on the outskirts of the town._

_"Onee-chan!" she called as she approached them._

_The elder sibling turned around, and was shocked to see her lavender-haired sister sprinting in their direction. Kankuro saw her just as she caught up to them._

_"Kiri, what are you doing here?" he inquired._

_"I…came to…see you…before you…left…for…the exams…" she panted, clutching her side and her cheeks flushed._

_Temari shook her head, "You shouldn't have come. You should be at home."_

_"But I…"_

_"Why aren't we leaving?" a cold voice demanded. Gaara stepped forward._

_Kiri's face lit up, "Niisan! Good luck!" She smiled._

_He shifted his icy gaze to her._

_"Luck?" he scoffed, "Luck is for fools."_

_Her face saddened a bit. He continued._

_"You're wasting our time with your pointless mumblings, go home!" he spat._

_She flinched at his sudden outburst._

_"But…but…niisan…" she started to walk forward._

_"I said go home!!"_

_Without warning, Kiri was thrown against the side of a building. The sand gathered itself together. Before any of them had a chance to react, Gaara grasped his younger sister with the death sand and squeezed. She cried out as she felt the extreme pressure._

"_Gaara stop!" Kankuro charged at him in an attempt to prevent any more harm coming to Kiri, but was thrust back by more sand. Temari went to him, knowing she couldn't stop Gaara even if she tried._

_Kiri gritted her teeth, "W-why are you doing this, niisan?"_

_If possible, his eyes got colder._

_"Because I can."_

_"What's going on here?"_

_Gaara lost his focus as he saw Baki, his sensei, and his sand fell. Kiri crumpled to the ground._

_"Nothing. Just taking care of a pest." He began to walk into the desert and stopped to look back at the others, "We should go."_

_Knowing Gaara wouldn't appreciate them helping Kiri, and because they saw her caretaker headed for them, the other two siblings got up and began to follow, along with Baki. They glanced at Kiri, gave her a look of apology mixed with sorrow._

_"Miss! Miss Kiri!" the older woman was at her side._

_The girl weakly looked up, blood trailing thinly from her mouth. They were gone. Her eyes watered. _Why?_ She thought, _why?

End Flashback

After that, I asked incessant questions. No one had ever told me about the Shukaku, maybe they thought I would never have to know about it. I had escaped my big brother's attack mostly unharmed; he hadn't had a chance to do much damage. Two broken ribs was all I got, the blood came from biting my tongue. I was lucky. I was also scared.

It's true, I had never really spent time with Gaara, and I had always regarded him as my strong big brother who would protect me, even though we are only ten months apart. Only when we were really little did I ever see him. Even then, I was oblivious to his mysterious powers, and mine as well.

My father had already seen the problem Gaara posed, and so, he kept me away from the world, locked in the cellar of our home, in some effort to control my abilities or for some other reason his mind came up with. For a long time, that was all I knew, a large dark room with a bed, desk and lavatory. I only ever saw my caretaker who brought me food and taught me how to read and write and such. I was never taught ninja arts. I wanted to though, after hearing stories from Temari and Kankuro on those dark nights when they would sneak me outside. It sounded like so much fun. Sometimes on those trips, I would also catch a glimpse of Gaara, but he would disappear quickly after being seen. Most of the time though, I was in solitude.

To amuse myself during those long periods alone, I often pretended I was a princess locked away in a deep dark dungeon, awaiting her rescuer. My fantasy faded as I got older, but the bleak dungeon did not. After Gaara's attack, it became even drearier. Father was not at all happy when he found out about my escapade and was quick to punish me with a few blows. I barricaded myself in my pleasant cell and refused to come out, even when my siblings returned. Temari and Kankuro assured me that Gaara had changed, but I didn't believe them. They told me our father was dead, but I was disbelieving. I was terrified. Somehow they managed to force me to open the door for food, but I rarely ate any of it. I finally realized all of those years of isolation, hatred, and the newfound terror, and it took its toll on me; I became a skeletal figure, my already pale skin whitened, I was filthy and I even stopped dreaming, something I had once loved to do. I thought no one loved me, no one cared, I was such a fool back then, but these things are hard on you when you're young. A few months later, I finally found someone to talk to who understood me and who had always been by my side…

Flashback

_A small, pale figure sat huddled in the corner of the dark, dank underground room. Her eyes were listless as they stared into the blackness lit only by a single candle._

_"…Kiri…Kiri…"_

_She ignored the foggy voice, she had heard it several times over, but knew it was just her mind._

_"…Kiri…Kiri…"_

_She blinked as a mouse ran by._

_"Kiri…Kiri!!"_

_She jolted at the cry. The candle blew out, extinguished by the non-existent wind. Surrounded in darkness, the voice repeating, more persistent, shadows flickering where there was no light, a breeze blowing when it could not get in, it dawned on her that she was finally going mad. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head, whimpering, willing it away._

_"Kiri…"_

_The voice was becoming clearer._

_"Kiri…open…your eyes…"_

_She was afraid, but curiosity made her open her eyes. The sight before her took her breath away. No longer was she in the room beneath her house, but, instead, sitting in front of a huge, sealed cage. Behind those gates were the eyes, the eyes of a sweet, innocent woman, yet these were also the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. These eyes belonged to one of the most powerful, destructive force ever known to any of the ninja villages. These eyes able to cause so much damage, yet able to love so much._

_"Kiri…" the voice rang out again. This time Kiri knew she wasn't insane._

_"You must…help me…"_

_"W-who…w-what…?" the girl was unable to speak, from both shock and her unused voice._

_"Release me…and I…will explain everything…"_

_Kiri was unsure of what to do; was this someone else come to hurt her? But there was something in this stranger's eyes, something that told her she could be trusted. She stood up and apprehensively moved forward, inching closer to the gates. Suddenly, as she reached her hand to open them, they flew open and the eyes disappeared. Power surged through her, a huge gust of wind burst through the opening, forcing Kiri back and her eyes closed. She landed roughly on the cold stone floor of her room. She winced at the dull pain as she sat up and gasped when she saw the beautiful creature before her._

_Sitting peacefully, with the eyes of the one locked in the cage, was a dog. Of course, this dog wasn't like the ones you normally see. For one, she was _big_, at least five feet at the shoulder. Her ivory coat was soft and smooth as if she had just been groomed by the most doting trainer, and she resembled a husky, or another similar breed. However, the most notable difference was her tail, or rather, _tails_. Five gorgeous silken tails fanned out behind her, making her look more regal than anything. _

_Her eyes on Kiri, she spoke, "Thank you, Kiri." Her voice was clearer than before, soft and elegant._

_The girl just stared._

_The dog sighed, "I suppose you must be confused, though it's about time you acknowledged my presence."_

_Silence._

_She sighed again, "Had you been trained in the ninja arts you may have been aware of me sooner. No matter," her ears pricked up, "I shall make the proper introductions. I am Gobi." She stepped forward._

_Kiri flinched._

_Gobi's eyes softened, "My dear, I won't hurt you. There is no need to be frightened."_

_She strode gracefully over to the girl and enveloped her tails around her comfortingly. They were cool, soft, as if they were made from the finest silk. Any tension Kiri had evaporated and she let herself be held. It was as if she was being held by her mother for the first time, she felt safe and calmed. Gobi turned to face the girl and Kiri looked into those sweet and dangerous eyes. There it was again, that feeling of reassurance and trust._

"_Now, before anything else is explained, why don't we go upstairs to the light, hmm?" she nuzzled Kiri gently, who had stiffened, "Don't worry, nothing's going to harm you, not while I'm around."_

_With that, she sauntered over to the door and lifted up the wooden bar that secured it shut. It creaked open slightly, revealing a bright beam of light. Shielding her eyes from the dazzle, Kiri slowly stood up and went over to the open door. She could smell Temari's cooking and when she opened it further, she could see the chef herself. All of a sudden, she was overwhelmed with a mix of loneliness and joy at seeing her sister again._

"_Onee-chan…" her hoarse voice whispered, and, her eyes brimming with tears, she ran up the stairs._

_Gobi followed noiselessly, jumping into her, like a shadow that was never seen._


	2. A Reunion and a Plan

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. If I did, do you really think I'd be here right now?

**A/N:**Also, I made a few quick edits to Chapter 1 after I had done a little more research. Chidarake is now Gobi, since I discovered (with the extremely generous help of Dimly) that the bijuu's all have names starting with the number of tails they have, and ending with 'bi'. I also learned more information about Gobi, and therefore changed some things about her appearance. Anyway, enough with my rambling, the story is below, so why are you still reading this?

**--**

**Chapter 2**

My reunion with my siblings was full of mixed emotions. I still remember coming out of that dark cell, the bright light hitting me with all its strength, and seeing my sister, my beautiful sister, looking tired and weary as she cooked my brothers' dinner…

_Flashback_

"_Onee-chan…"_

_Temari's head snapped up and she turned around to see the owner of the voice. When she saw her thin, pale sister running towards her, her face lit up and she embraced Kiri._

"_Kiri…Kiri…I…" That was all she could manage to say through her sobs. The front door opened._

_"Hey, Temari, I think I've found a way to break through the stone door down in the…" Kankuro stopped when he saw Kiri. He half-smiled, "Hey kid."_

_Kiri smiled too, and ran to greet her big brother, who picked her up and enclosed her in a huge bear hug. Temari took this chance to quickly compose herself. Kankuro chuckled,_

_"It's all right, Tem, deep down, we all know you're cold and soulless," to Kiri, he said, "Guess I won't need that new jutsu to break down the cellar door, huh?"_

_Kiri smiled and shook her head. He set her down gently, as if she were a delicate china-doll. He grinned again, "You shrank."_

_"You grew." She retorted, and it was true. Even though they were only a few years apart, Kiri only came up to Kankuro's shoulder now._

_The door suddenly opened again, and Gaara entered. The room silenced, and Kiri froze, remembering her last encounter with him. But then, Gobi's voice resounded in her head,_

_"_Nothing's going to harm you_."_

_Kiri regained some confidence, turned to Gaara and looked at him with what she hoped was a look of fearlessness, although, that's hard to pull off when you resemble something that crawled out of a coffin._

_Gaara had noticed the change of emotions in his younger sister, from joy, to alarm, to defiance. Nevertheless, no matter how hard she tried, she could not hide the fear that he saw in her eyes. His own eyes softened as he recalled the day he hurt her so bad, as he thought of how she had been isolated by someone who was supposed to love her, as he thought of the hateful looks she had received. He saw an almost perfect mirror image of himself._

_He strode over to Kiri and before she knew it, his arms were enveloped tightly around her and a soft voice whispered, "I'm so sorry."_

_Kiri had been expecting many things, but not this. She had been prepared for harsh words, a cold glare, or even the deathly sand, but _this _completely astounded her. _So, _she thought to herself, _he has changed after all. _Kiri sighed and let herself be held, as a single tear hit her shoulder from above._

_End Flashback_

After my reunion, I was told about the jinchurriki, the hosts for the tailed beasts. My siblings recounted Gaara's tale and mine, Gobi silently voicing other details in my head. They had been surprised that I had shown no special or abilities or markings, like Gaara with his sand and the rings around his eyes.

"_That's because I'd been sealed more forcibly,_" Gobi had put in, "_You'll notice some changes soon, I'm sure._"

They also told of the death and betrayal of the late Kazekage (I refuse to call that man 'father') and of Orochimaru some. I was also informed about another jinchurriki who had fought with Gaara and helped him. Naruto, he was called. I hoped I would get to meet him at some point. They also said that they had gone back and taken the chuunin exam again and had all passed. As for the servant who looked after me, they figured if and when I came out, I wouldn't need a babysitter anymore, so she was fired. She hadn't been very good at her job anyway.

After the storytelling had finished, many things became clear to me: why I had been incarcerated for most of my youth, why I hadn't been allowed to learn ninja arts, why I had been looked at with hate-filled eyes. In fact, as Temari and Kankuro admitted sheepishly, they had only spent more time around me because I had never shown signs of my power, and therefore they did not think I was dangerous. I forgave them, and I didn't blame them either, I probably would have done the same thing.

My past was behind me now, and I had one big thing to look forward to: becoming a ninja. Of course, I was a little too old to go to any academy, so Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara taught me all they knew; Baki-sensei even helped a bit. In just one year, right after my fourteenth birthday actually, I had been taught everything I needed to know and the chuunin exam was what I needed next. However, it didn't go without its problems…

_Flashback_

_"What do you mean she can't enter?!" Kankuro slammed his fist onto the desk._

_"Kankuro…" Temari warned._

_"I don't care! She has as much right to take the exam as anyone else!"_

_"Brother…calm yourself" voiced Gaara._

_"Yes, please lower your voice. I can't hear myself think," Lady Tsunade rubbed her temples, "And would you kindly remove your hand from my desk?"_

_Kankuro did as the Hokage said; rage still etched in his face. Ibiki, who, along with Anko, was standing behind the Hokage, spoke up, "It's not that we don't want your sister to take the exam, it's just that she…"_

_"Can't." Anko finished for him. Her arms were crossed and she had a stern look on her face, "She does not have a team, and only 3-man cells can enter, unless of course you have forgotten that," she sneered._

_"No," Kankuro growled, "We haven't."_

_"Then you know perfectly well why she is not able to take part," Tsunade clasped her hands together, "I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do."_

_"But—"_

_"Niisan, it's okay." Kiri, who had been standing in the corner behind her siblings, suddenly stepped forward. Her lavender hair had darkened, and now had white streaks running through it. Her eyes were a pale blue._

Almost wolf-like…_Tsunade thought to herself, _Like the Inuzuka clan, but different…

_"My lady, it is okay I—" she stopped and looked as if an idea had suddenly struck her, "I understand. Perchance, if I found two other genin willing to take the test with me, could I enter then?" She looked Tsunade in the eye._

Such a strange colour for eyes…orange …_thought Tsunade._

_"Yes, I suppose, if you could find anyone without a team that is."_

_Kiri grinned, "Great. Thank you very much, Lady Hokage," She turned to her siblings, "Lets go." With that, she walked out of Tsunade's office, her kin following her with confused looks._

_When they were gone, Ibiki sighed, "Do you think she'll be able to make it?"_

_"I don't know," mused Tsunade. A thought struck her,_ Wait…weren't her eyes blue…?

--

_Outside near the training area, the sand trio stood around their sister with questioning looks._

_"Kiri, what were you thinking?" Temari asked._

_"Relax. I've got it covered."_

_"How? Where are you ever going to find two shinobi without teams??" exclaimed Kankuro._

_Kiri smirked, "Watch." She closed her eyes and called to her bijuu. _Go? _She thought, using her nickname for the bijuu, _Could you come out?

_She could hear the smile in the voice, "_Of course. I like your plan," _Gobi added._

_A gust of unnatural wind whipped around the group and before anyone knew it, a great white canine appeared behind Kiri._

_Kankuro jumped when he saw Gobi, "Holy-! Kiri, warn us when you're about to do something like that!"_

_Temari jumped a bit too, and Gaara just stood there, arms crossed while a slight smile played on his lips._

_Kiri grinned too, "Ready?" she said, looking at the dog behind her. Gobi nodded. She formed a series of hand signs, and then placed her hands on the wolf-dog._

_"Transform!"_

_In a puff of smoke, Gobi disappeared and in her place stood a beautiful, white-haired sand kunoichi. Kiri nodded in satisfaction and performed some more hand signs followed by another._

_"Shadow Clone Jutsu! Transform!"_

_For a split second, there was another Kiri standing beside the original and then it too transformed, this time into a male sand ninja._

_"Gaara-nii, Kankuro-nii, Temari-nee, meet Chika," she gestured to Gobi, "and Riku." The male genin nodded in greeting. Kiri giggled, her eyes now bright yellow, "They're my new team-mates."_

Oh, yes. It was an interesting exam.

**--**

**A/N**: Well there you go. Sorry if it took me a while, ehehe. I hope you enjoyed chapter two, and that you didn't mind the constant flashbacks. They will go away eventually! I promise. In the next chapter or two, Kiri is going to go farther in the chuunin exam, and it _is _going to be a flashback, but I'll just keep it in italics and tell you when it's over, okay?

Now lets answer some reviews! But before I do that, I would like to say a great big thank you to Zolfe-of-the-sand, my plot buddy, for helping me tremendously with this story. Hugs all around!

Bob, teh pretteh, princess.: Lmao, thank you very much! I'm glad you lovedededededed it!

:3 : I don't plan to stop anytime soon, I can tell you that!

Dimly : Like I said, I don't plan on abandoning this. I hope Gaara's reaction was good enough for you. Thank you for offering your help, and I love your enthusiasm! I know what I want to happen, and how it's going to end…I just don't know how to get it out of my head and onto paper, lol.

Thank you so much for the reviews, they all mean so much to me, and please, keep on reading!


	3. Blown Away

Hello hello hello! Thank you all so very much for waiting for this chapter and for putting up with the constant edits I made to the previous chapters (you can thank my lack of work and research for that). An especially huge thank you goes out to Dimly; without her, those edits might not have existed and this story would have lacked the proper jinchuuriki information it needed.

I have also decided to keep the flashbacks in normal font from now on since it is much easier to read. I will still put '_Flashback'_ before and after and I will also add line breaks now. I hope this little adjustment makes it easier to read!

Disclaimer: Ladeda, I don't own Naruto, it's characters, places, you know the drill. I do, however, own Kiri.

Chapter 3

It was a foolproof plan. I already knew what to expect in the exam, my siblings _had _gone through it twice, after all, each of them having acquired chuunin rank. You didn't think they failed to tell me about their escapades, did you? Anyway, it was a fairly simple plot; I create two fake teammates to accompany me and then…well, why don't I just let you find out for yourselves?

_Flashback_

It had been a week since the argument in Lady Tsunade's office, and Kiri and her troupe were on their way to meet the Hokage again. They had needed time to make it seem like they actually went in search of teamless genin, and so Kiri had practiced with Gobi/Chika and the Riku clone to pass the time. Now that they were going back, Kiri's yellow eyes danced with excitement and she burst through the door opening into Tsunade's bureau over-exuberantly.

"…and so I want extra security for this exam, we can't…now what is it?"

Apparently she had just interrupted an important meeting between the Hokage and some of the Leaf's chuunin and jonin. All heads turned to face the three genin with disapproving expressions as the door slammed shut behind them.

"My Lady, I--" Kiri paused when she saw the many faces and her eyes flickered to a light shade of grey, reflecting her nervousness.

She began again, "Lady Hokage, forgive me for the intrusion, but I have good news."

Tsunade waited. Smiling, the girl continued, "I was able to locate two other sand genin willing to be my partners for the upcoming chuunin exam," She motioned for the two to step forward, "May I introduce Chika and Riku." The two stepped forward to stand on either side of Kiri and nodded their greeting.

"I have had the opportunity to train with them, and I believe they both have excellent skills as shinobi. I would be honoured to call them my team-mates."

Chika blushed sheepishly, while Riku remained stony-faced and silent.

Kiri glanced quickly at the others and with hesitancy in her voice, bowed along with her two comrades, "P-please, allow us to enter the exam."

The room was silent, and Kiri waited anxiously, her heart pounding in her chest.

"With all due respect, Lady Hokage, if I may voice my opinion?"

Kiri was surprised to hear a voice other than the Hokage's and allowed herself to steal a glance. The speaker was leaning lazily against the wall with his arms crossed and his head slightly bowed. He was older than Kiri, and despite his easygoing stance, he seemed to have an air of power about him.

Tsunade nodded, "Go ahead."

"Personally, I think that these young shinobi are more than capable of entering the exam. They may be a little late, and without a jonin leader it seems, but as long as someone of authority approves of it, they should be perfectly legitimate."

Kiri straightened, mentally thanking this stranger.

"However," he continued, a slight threat in his voice, "if we need to, we can keep tabs on them, just to make sure they aren't a threat to the village. As you were just saying, Lady Hokage, we need to be extra-careful with who we allow to enter the exam."

He looked at them with his right eye, the only part of his face not covered. Kiri swallowed, becoming even more nervous. _That stare_, she thought, _it's as if he can see right through me…or my illusions_.

Then his eye closed and Kiri could have sworn he was smiling. "But I'm sure we'll have no trouble with them, right?"

She nodded vigorously.

"You know I respect your opinion, Kakashi, and I think you make a good point."

Her hands clasped before her, Tsunade focused her attention on Kiri and her group, "You are all sure you want to take part?"

The three nodded.

She continued, "All right. Since you have no jonin assigned to you, I shall take your siblings' consent instead, Kiri. I assume they want you to enter, from the way they were behaving the other day." Her stern look vanished and a small smile replaced it, "Welcome to the chuunin exam."

Kiri was overjoyed, but kept a mask of calm betrayed only by the shifting of her eyes from grey to vibrant yellow. Outside, the Sand Trio had waited patiently, carefully listening through the closed door. They let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you think the blush was too much on Go- I mean Chika's part?" Temari asked.

"Nah, she's supposed to be a happy-go-lucky girl anyway, right?" Kankuro winked. "They didn't suspect a thing."

---

The six sand shinobi stood outside the ninja academy where the first part of the exam was to take place, and the older ninja were giving some last-minute advice for the young team.

"Now remember Kiri, it's on the third floor…" Temari began.

"And since it's a written exam," Kankuro continued, "you don't need to be worried about any injuries…"

"Yet." Gaara stated simply.

"But you know we haven't been able to tell you everything, so there are going to be a few surprises…"

"Don't let them get to you either, kid. And don't get caught with your…" Kankuro hesitated and glanced at Chika and Riku, "…teammates. But most importantly of all…"

"Just don't die on us." Gaara finished will a tiny smile.

"Such comforting words from my family. You guys worry too much." Kiri sighed, "So I guess I won't see you guys until…"

"The end of the second exam."

Kiri looked at them incredulously, "Okay, the creepy finishing each other's sentences is really starting to get annoying."

The siblings grinned.

"Anyway, so I'll see you in a week or so then."

"Good luck." Temari said.

Kiri grinned and began to leave with Chika and Riku.

"Remember, if you come back to us in a body bag, we'll kill you!" Kankuro shouted at their retreating backs, and received only a small wave in return.

Once the team entered the building, they immediately headed up the stairs and were greeted with a huge cluster of genin standing in front of a door. The door was marked 301 and, apparently, no one was being let in.

Kiri studied the scene for a minute before whispering to Chika, "I wonder if they know we're still on the second floor."

Chika laughed softly, her voice musical and higher than it normally was. "Shall we then?"

Kiri nodded, "I think we shall," and with that, they walked past the group and up the next flight of stairs.

When they reached the actual room, Kiri hesitated with her hand resting on the door handle. Her eyes, which up until that moment had been yellow with excitement, flashed grey. Her hand gripped the handle tightly until her knuckles turned white. She shook her head and tried to compose herself. _Calm down_, she told herself, _this can't be any harder than the missions you've been on with niisan…_

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look. It was Chika, beaming brightly at her. Kiri smiled too, "You know, you're really getting good at concealing you normally murderous intent."

Chika shrugged, the smile still illuminating her face, "I try."

Kiri's mood lightened slightly and she put on a brave face. Only her eyes, as always, betrayed her true nervousness. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

There were at least a hundred pairs of eyes on them when they entered the huge classroom. They stood for a moment taking in the variety of headband insignias before choosing a spot to stand together away from the others. There were not many friendly faces in this crowd.

A door near the front of the room suddenly opened and they were all assigned seats by a scary-looking chuunin.

"Settle down and be quiet," ordered Ibiki, "Now, there are many important rules to this first test…"

…a_nd you will write them on the board as you go along,_ Kiri thought. She'd already heard the rules from Temari and her brothers; it's a subtraction point system, don't get caught cheating, it's a team test, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Although they hadn't told her, Kiri had figured out that she actually was supposed to gather information from the other participants without getting caught. In simpler, non-ninja terms, cheat.

Kiri had prepared for this and in the few moments she had stood with her team-mates, she had observed the others, mentally selecting those who looked like they would easily pass this part. Now, as the examiner droned on about the rules, Kiri looked for her prime targets, her eyes shifting all around without moving her head an inch. There was that grass ninja with the huge scar, the mist kunoichi that wore a cowl, the young sand-haired boy from the waterfall village.

Ibiki finished explaining the rules while Kiri ended her evaluation. She waited a while for her victims to complete some portion of the test, during that time a few were caught and kicked out. Then…

_There! That one! Gobi?_ Kiri mentally passed to her partner, who needed no further explanation.

All of a sudden, the wind picked up outside and Kiri's eyes glinted a bright purple with delight and satisfaction. A few of the contenders and one or two of the evaluating officers glanced out the windows with confused expressions at the sudden change in weather. The wind gusted more violently and the window closest to the hooded mist kunoichi burst from it's latch and snapped open.

There was the sound of hundreds of palms slapping on wood as the many test-takers tried to keep their papers from blowing away. It became apparent that the young kunoichi didn't have very good reflexes as her test blew around the classroom. One of the chuunin officers got up and managed to close the window, but the test continued to flutter around. It seemed to pause in front of several people briefly revealing the answers written upon it. When it drifted by her, Kiri glanced long enough to catch a glimpse of the scrawled writing, but quick enough so she wouldn't seem overly suspicious. Once the paper was done it's flight, it drifted slowly to the front of the room and landed in front of Ibiki. As soon as it had landed, the wind outside stopped as if a fan had been suddenly unplugged. Through all of this commotion, Chika remained silent and focused on her own exam.

"Cute," said Ibiki without humour. He picked up the test and walked over to the mist ninja. "I believe this is yours."

She snatched it from his outstretched hand with a scowl.

Kiri concealed a grin and wrote down her new answers along with her companions, who knew them as soon as she did. Riku was a clone, after all, and Chika shared a mental connection with her. Kiri paused when she reached question 10.

'_This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test begins. Listen to the examiner closely before answering.'_

Confusion crossed her face. _Niisan didn't say anything about this..._

Ibiki glanced at the clock on the wall. "I suppose it is about time to start the 10th question. However, I would like to go over a few additional rules for this question."

A wave of surprise swept through the room.

"Firstly, you must decide whether or not you will answer it." He waited for a moment before continuing, "If you choose not to answer, you will fail along with your team-mates."

There were various shouts from the crowd at this.

"Of course we'll take it!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Why wouldn't we answer it if it means our failure if we don't?"

Ibiki looked at the last speaker, the boy from the waterfall village. "You may not want to answer it because if you do and are incorrect…" he paused for a dramatic effect, "You will lose the right to take the chuunin exam ever again!"

The class was stunned for a split-second and then there was a room full of outraged individuals. Ibiki didn't give them much of a chance to release their anger when he silenced most of them with a sharp, deathly glare.

"Wait, wait, wait," started one who would not be stopped, "What about those who have already taken the test once before?"

"They are taking their test in a separate room, you may have noticed it while you were on your way up, and I believe a few of you tried to get in?"

A few in the class looked a little embarrassed when he said that. Kiri stifled a giggle.

"Anyway, I _do_ have a shred of mercy in me, and there is a way for you to get out. Those who are not confident can choose not to take it and you and your team can try again next year."

"Now, for those who want to leave, raise your hand."

_It's really just me taking this test, with a clone and a bijuu, but I still think we can do this! _Kiri sat proudly, her arm not twitching one bit. No one else moved for a moment and then,

"I…quit."

Kiri couldn't see who had spoken, but several others followed suit and by the time they all left, only 48 remained.

"Well, now that that has been taken care of, to those of you who are left, congratulations. You've passed the first exam."

Kiri finally decided to speak up, "Whoa, what do you mean? What about the 10th question?"

Ibiki glanced her way and smiled, (_Ugh...he looks creepy when he smiles…_Kiri thought), "That was the 10th question."

"Then those other questions…"

"Were to train your ability to gather information, as I'm sure you already knew." He turned his attention back to the whole group, "These questions were designed to put pressure on you, to stress you out, so you would be less confident in your ability, less likely to pass."

He continued on to explain how one had to keep any and all important information secret, even if you were tortured beyond recognition. Kiri gave an involuntary shudder when he revealed his scarred and burned scalp beneath his headgear. He also went on about the 10th question, about even if you may die, though your comrades may become injured, you cannot give up on a mission.

_You're wrong, _Kiri mediated, _it is true that you shouldn't abandon a mission and that you are considered scum if you do but…_She clenched her fists, _If you would give the life of your friends for the sake of one mission, you aren't worthy enough of being called scum._

She was about to tell the examiner exactly what was on her mind when the window was broken open with an immense shattering of glass. In barrelled a stunning woman with a fierce expression on her face.

"Get ready you maggots! It's time for the second exam!"

She was scarier than Ibiki, and everyone seemed to recoil a little.

Ibiki sighed, "And I wonder why they still let you be an examiner Anko…"

"Hmph. At least you didn't leave as many victims this time; 16 teams." She ran her eyes over every one of them, scrutinizing them. Then she placed one hand on her hip and smiled wickedly, "Are you ready for the Forest of Death?"

**A/N:** I apologize for having made you wait so long for an update and thank you once again for being so patient, but I'll have you know I finished it in one night just for you guys!

Now it's time for review answering!

Dimly: Haha, I'm glad you like the flashbacks, because there are a lot more to come. I am also very excited that you liked the little Gaara scene with Kiri ^_^ You'll have to wait a little bit for when she meets Naruto, because about the time Kiri took the exam, Naruto had already been gone from the village for a few months. Sorry if I didn't point that out earlier. Don't worry though, I have a decent meeting planned out, and I even have an idea for a kind of sequel-ish thing that starts with a big WHAT IF when she meets Naruto. Kinda if she had decided to do this instead of that. But, I suppose you shall have to wait and see!

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou once again for aiding me!!!!

VampireArgonian92: I am happy that you find it interesting and thank you. I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter!

See you in chapter 4!!


	4. Illusions

**Chapter 4**

"I don't know about you, but this sure doesn't look like a forest to me."

The genin had made their way outside following Anko until they reached the outskirts of the village. They now stood before a massive mountain and Kiri, along with many others, looked at it doubtfully.

Chika turned to Anko, "Did you not say that the second exam was the _Forest_ of Death?"

Anko looked both irritated and embarrassed. "Well, what I meant to say was..."

"The Mountain of Death. Jeez, you can't even keep the names straight. I don't even know why they both end in death anyway, so pointless…"

All heads turned to face the newcomer striding toward them lazily as if he _really_ didn't want to be there.

"Yeah? Well you're one to talk you lazy-ass good-for-nothing sloth!" Anko snapped, "You shouldn't even be a proctor for the exam; you've been a chuunin less than a year!"

He scuffed the ground discontentedly, "I only came because they thought you might need some help." He sighed, "This is going to be such a drag."

Having grown impatient with the conversation between the forceful examiner and the pineapple-haired slacker, Kiri spoke, "Can we get on with the exam now?"

Anko gave the other chuunin and aggravated glance, "Yes, let's." Then, a brilliant thought struck her, "Actually, since you seem _so _eager, why don't _you_ do the explaining, Shikamaru?"

"Fine" Shikamaru sighed lazily, with a quick glare in Anko's direction. "Each team will enter the mountain by a different path. There are two different types of scrolls you will be carrying-that you are not allowed to open-heaven and earth. Each team will have one scroll and since there are sixteen teams, there will be eight of each. You will get them," He gestured to a small lean-to with a curtain and a couple other chuunin under it, "over there. No one will know which team has which scroll. There is a tower at the top of the mountain and if you reach it with both scrolls you pass, though I don't think anyone will gladly give up their scrolls, so you get the idea... along the way there will be obstacles..." He sighed again. "Oh and you need to sign consent forms stating we are not responsible if you die. That's it, good luck." He promptly turned away and walked to a tree to lean against it, hands in pockets.

"Well, that sucked." Anko muttered.

The entire group proceeded to sign forms and get their scrolls. While Anko went over some details Shikamaru conveniently forgot, Kiri's gaze wandered to the mountain. It was a huge and imposing thing, and Kiri couldn't even come close to seeing the top. A small path started right where some were standing, but trees and undergrowth quickly obscured it. She guessed it was…well, it was _very _tall, and, from what she could see, was covered in rough terrain; crumbling cliffs, narrow ledges, overgrown trees, and mini-forests. It was not going to be a walk in the park. She decided it should take 2 or 3 days with the fighting and such to scale it, quite within the allotted time.

Kiri's eyes traveled back down where she saw Shikamaru again, still leaning against the tree, not too far from them. She studied him for a minute with a quizzical look on her face. _I know him from somewhere, _she thought, _I just can't put my finger on it. Lazy, arrogant, slight superiority complex…_

She gasped and pointed to Shikamaru, "You're the guy my sister had to save!!!"

Having been staring at the clouds and clearly ignoring everything around him, Shikamaru was quite startled and taken aback at this comment. "What did you say?"

Kiri marched up to him, a huge grin on her face, "Yeah, I knew it was you! She kind of mentioned your name but I knew at once by how lazy you are!"

"What are you-who is your sister?!"

"Temari-nee, of course. Oh the things she said about you." She started giggling, her eyes flashing a fluorescent orange, "You couldn't even beat this wimpy girl with a flute and she had to come to your rescue!"

Shikamaru's cheeks were red with anger and embarrassment. "You're…her SISTER? I-"

"What's this?" Anko, who had heard the entire conversation, strode over with a smug smile, "You had to be saved by a girl _from _a girl? That is just priceless!" She burst out laughing.

Shikamaru became more and more furious. "Look, that's not-"

"Is that true?" Anko asked Kiri, still laughing.

"Yes, it was so pitiful, she…" And so Kiri told Anko the whole story, with more and more veins popping on Shikamaru's head.

Another peal of laughter came from a blonde-haired kunoichi, a pink-haired kunoichi, and a round genin nearby.

"You never told us _that_ part of your mission!"

"Shut up, Ino!" He shouted back. He turned to the group, face bright red, "All right, start the exam already!!" He practically shoved a hysterical Kiri onto the first trail, and her teammates followed, Chika giggling and Riku as stoic as ever. Anko was clutching her stomach and howling with laughter, "You know," she gasped through her chortles, "No one is _ever_ going to let you live this down! Not after all of your 'men don't need women' talk."

Shikamaru turned to the gap Kiri and her team had disappeared to, "I hope you fall off of a cliff!" he shouted to them. He received only more distant chuckles in return.

------

The team had not gone too far up the path when they stopped. Kiri was over her fit of laughter and, serious, turned to the other two, "So, what's our plan?"

Chika glanced at Riku and back to Kiri, "Well, we have an earth scroll, right? So we need to find a team with a heaven scroll."

Kiri pondered for a moment, "Yes, but how to find one? I don't really think wandering around hoping to chance upon an unprepared team is the best idea." She thought for a minute. "Wait! Everyone is going to the tower, right? Why don't we just head up there, make camp, and ambush a tired, weary team? That way, we can avoid encountering a team when _we're_ tired and weary."

Chika nodded, "That sounds like a reasonable course of action." She looked at Riku again, "I don't suppose you have any input on this?"

Silence.

"I didn't think so."

Kiri's eyes were wild and yellow. "What are we waiting for? C'mon! Let's go!"

On they trekked up the mountainside, crossing deep chasms and cutting through thick undergrowth. They were about halfway up when they stopped for the night by a tiny, trickling stream. They were able to rest undisturbed and woke to a bright and peaceful morning. Riku, of course, did not sleep at all. That day, they continued their hike and managed to nearly fall off of a cliff after part of it gave way beneath them.

"I bet _that_ would have made pineapple-head happy," Kiri muttered after. Chika giggled in reply.

It was late afternoon and the trio was making their way further up, well past the halfway point. They were careful where they stepped, for they were near the edge of the mountain and did not want to repeat the morning's incident. Just beyond the next turn was the beginning of one of the little forested parts that dotted the hillside.

"Hey, you!!"

The three had just rounded that turn when they heard the shout, and were taken by surprise. Another team greeted them, the same one that had also laughed at Shikamaru. The caller was the blonde female, who shouted again.

"Yeah you! We want your scroll, so you'd better give it up if you don't want to get hurt!"

Kiri sighed, _And I had hoped for a _quiet_ walk up. I suppose nothing is ever that simple…_

She replied, "Our answer would depend on what scroll you have, wouldn't it?"

"We want to pass as well, you will not find us giving up so easily," Chika put in.

"Ino, don't be so loud," The pink-haired kunoichi snapped. She turned to Kiri and her team, "We have a heaven scroll, and you?"

"An earth scroll."

Ino grinned, "So, do you feel like handing it over?"

Kiri matched the grin with a smirk of her own, "Only if you want to pick it off my corpse."

"Then it's a fight we'll have."

"We may not have Shikamaru with us, but we can still beat these puny Sand ninja, right Ino? Sakura?"

"You've got that right, Choji."

Kiri's eyes flashed a wicked violet, "This is going to be fun." She prepared for her first attack, but then a thought struck her. _Oh no! What am I going to do about the clone? If he gets hit, the whole plan will go down! I can't use too much chakra either, or my grip on the cloaking jutsus will disappear._ She suddenly became nervous, but felt the soft tendril of Gobi's mind in hers.

"_Don't worry. You focus on normal attacks, I'll use some chakra that I possess myself."_

_And Riku can simply dodge as much as he can. Brilliant, this may work after all._ Kiri regained herself and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Ready?" Kiri shouted.

"Ready!" Chika replied. Riku nodded.

"Let's kick some Sand butt!" Choji yelled.

"Here we go." Kiri whispered.

In that instant, Kiri flicked her wrist and detonated a smoke bomb, but she had no chance to continue. A massive green boulder unexpectedly hurtled towards them out of the smoke.

"Human juggernaut!"

The three barely had time to move from the path of the barreling Choji, each of them scattering to the overhanging tree branches.

"Choji! The cliff!" one of the girls shouted, it was hard to discern who, as the smoke began to dissipate. In response he veered away from the edge and stopped, dizzy for a moment. Riku took the opportunity to attack and aimed a few shuriken at Choji, one striking its mark.

"Ugh! Hey! Why don't you come down here and face me instead of hiding like a coward?" Choji shouted, removing the ninja star from his arm. Riku remained among the leaves and proceeded to throw numerous kunai, keeping Choji occupied as he dodged.

Meanwhile, Chika had leapt down and now faced Sakura.

"I don't suppose you have the scroll?" she asked sweetly.

"Maybe," Sakura replied, "Do you have your scroll?"

Chika smiled, "Perhaps."

"We'll just have to see then, won't we?" At that moment, she suddenly slammed her fist into the ground. For a short time, nothing seemed to happen, but then the earth trembled and cracked and crumbled away at Chika's feet. As her opponent stumbled and lost her footing, Sakura took the chance to attack and charged, kunai in hand.

An instant before she was trounced, Chika performed a series of hand signs, concentrating on and retaining the last one. Sakura abruptly and violently recoiled, a startled expression on her face. But she wasn't looking at Chika, she was looking _behind _her. Sakura saw a huge beast, no, a monster, towering over the other girl. Its jowls were full of deadly incisors and dripping with saliva. Its white coat was tangled and matted with old blood while its muzzle was coated with fresh.

But worst of all were the eyes, the red, piercing eyes. It was as though everything surrounding them melted away and was replaced with utter nothingness. When she looked into those eyes, Sakura felt this unbearable fear, like she was witnessing first-hand the pain and deaths of thousands of people. Everything burned around her; she could smell smoke and the vile scent of burning flesh. Unholy wails echoed around her and the taste of blood and ash mingled in her mouth. These eyes beheld the depths of horror no human need behold. It was Hell.

Sakura tried to move her arms, to somehow attack or break free of what she knew was an illusion, but she was frozen in place; whether this was another part of the illusion or fear itself, she would never know. She was able to tear her gaze away from the beast to meet that of Chika's, and screamed. The eyes of the tiny, innocent girl bore the exact same thing.

Ino's head snapped around when she heard Sakura's cry, but all she saw was the two girls, face to face. Sakura's face was etched in pure terror and the kunai she was holding slowly fell from her hand. _Must be genjutsu_, she thought,_ but I've never known Sakura to fall victim to it…_

Her attention was then drawn to Riku who, still distracting Choji, made to throw a large shuriken at Sakura with his free hand. Ino prepared to counter his attack when all of a sudden Kiri came rushing at her with a kunai from the side. She stabbed Ino between the ribs, a triumphant grin on her face. Ino disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only a log to fall to the ground.

_Substitution justu!_ Kiri glanced around her, searching for the missing blonde. She was about to turn around when she felt herself become paralyzed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make her muscles move.

_Art of the valentine…_a voice inside her head snickered, _Now I can control everything you do._

Kiri was shocked. As quickly as she could, she threw up a mental shield to conceal her connection to Chika.

_Where is that scroll?_ Ino persisted, probing Kiri's mind. Kiri attempted to stop herself from thinking of the scroll, but it was too late and she felt herself slowly fading.

_Ah, so you _do_ have it. Lucky me._

Kiri felt her hand involuntary reaching for the earth scroll hidden in her back pouch. Her mind and body were slowly slipping from her grip and she found herself disappearing into the darkness. Her shield was collapsing.

_No…no…no!_

Ino was taken aback by this sudden mental outburst and struggled to keep the control she had gained.

_Just a little more…then we'll have it._

Kiri's arm stopped and stiffened. Her whole body began to tremble; it was an all-out mental war. Each girl fought hard, pushing one another, hoping the other would fall off the edge. Finally, it was over.

"Get…out…of…my…HEAD!!!" Kiri cried, her eyes an angry crimson. The last word was emphasized with a vivid mental force of element. With a huge tsunami wave, Ino was forced out of Kiri's body and was slammed back into her own with such intensity that she was thrown back a few feet. Kiri fell to one knee, her lavender and white hair falling around her face as she gasped for breath; the fight had taken more effort than she thought.

However, she made herself stand and she staggered over to her fallen opponent. She flicked a kunai from her pocket and pointed it at Ino's throat. Ino groaned and clutched her head but froze when she saw the blade. Kiri grinned, "Game over?"

Ino glanced around at her comrades: Choji, obviously exhausted and with numerous cuts and gashes, was currently being tied to a tree by Riku; Sakura, bleeding from where the shuriken must have hit, was still in a bit of a shock and was also being restrained by Chika. Then she looked at herself, tired and weary from the mental battle and being held at knifepoint. Yeah, it was game over.

Ino nodded and passed the heaven scroll that had been concealed in her shuriken bag into Kiri's waiting hand. Kiri took it, put it away, and then offered her hand to Ino. Ino was puzzled, grasped the hand and was pulled up.

"Nice fight. That was a pretty interesting jutsu you used."

"Th-thanks. You too; I've never seen anyone with that much mental strength, except maybe Sakura," Ino nodded to her friend who was being gently eased up. Riku also cut Choji free and helped him over to the others.

Kiri spoke again, "You guys put up a good fight, it was an honour to battle you." She ran soft chocolate eyes over the other team, "There are probably others who have both scrolls, and you still have a day or two," She smiled sincerely, "Good luck."

She then gestured to her teammates, "Let's go."

The three leapt into the trees and took off into the heights of the mountain as the other battered team stared after them.

------

On their way up the mountain, the trio encountered little incident. They nearly ran into some mist ninja, but managed to avoid them. They were now crouched in the bushes facing the tower.

Kiri sighed with relief, "We made it." She turned to the other two, "Now for the final part of the plan, we need to make sure that you both have plausible excuses for quitting the exam. Then, I can continue on without any problems."

She held out her hand, pulled out a kunai and, with a wince, sliced her open palm. With the blood that flowed from the wound, she carefully smeared Chika's face and clothes. Then, she dotted herself and Riku with much less, so they wouldn't appear out of place, but still in good shape.

"Right," she said when she was finished, "You are going to be the extremely injured friend who is too exhausted and wounded to continue because she protected her comrades from a deadly blow. Do you think you could also…?"

"Absolutely." Chika replied, seeing the vision in Kiri's head.

Kiri nodded, "As for Riku…" She glanced at the clone, "Uhm…we'll improvise."

They stood and strode over to the tower, Chika limping and supported partially by Kiri.

When they entered the tower they saw that no one was there to greet them. Seeing the sign on the far wall, Kiri motioned for Riku to open the scrolls. Like many other parts of the exam, she knew what must be done. She was not, however, prepared for what happened next. As the scrolls unfurled, a huge puff of smoke erupted from them and in that puff of smoke stood a man on a turtle.

_Oh…my. _Kiri had no words for this man. He was clad in what looked like green de-footed footy pajamas with a green vest over it and had the oddest haircut and the biggest eyebrows she had ever seen. On top of all that, he was striking the most ridiculous pose.

"Ah! The glory of youth! You three have succeeded in completing the second part of the chuunin exam. And though you are not of my village, I congratulate you most energetically!" Then he gave them a thumbs up and flashed a smile.

_He cannot be serious. _Kiri attempted to complete her plan, "That is great, but we really need to see a doctor, my friend here can't hold on for long. You see-"

"Now if only you wore the outfits that constituted the glory of youth," He gestured to his own wardrobe, completely oblivious of the fact that Kiri had spoken, "You would be even more successful. Why, my student Lee has adopted the youthful look and with determination and my teaching has become one of the finest young shinobi of the village, possibly excelling those of other countries!"

_This guy, he just doesn't know when to quit!_ Kiri could sense the crimson steadily forming around her pupils. _He's going to ruin everything!_

"Of course, if you were of this village I would gladly take you on as my students and train you until your abilities reached their maximum. But it is unfortunate for you that you do not, though with sufficient other training I am sure you may become the chuunin you long to be. Incidentally-"

"Will you just shut up?!"

Kiri had to resist the urge to clamp her hand over her mouth, but the words did not come from her; rather, they came from the quiet and apathetic boy standing on the other side of Chika. Riku's face was twisted with impatience and frustration as he glared at Gai.

"Can't you see that my comrade is gravely injured? You are ranting on about nothing while she is in obvious pain!"

He turned to Chika and supported her as well, "If this is how we are going to be treated from now on, then I want to leave as soon as I can to get her home where I _know_ she will be looked after properly."

Realization and shock suddenly surfaced on Gai's face. He took in the blood covering Chika and the weary state the team seemed to be in.

"Y-yes! Of course, just follow me this way."

He opened a back door and led them through a hallway and into an arena-like room.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but you must wait here. You are the last to arrive successfully, so as soon as the Hokage sees you, we will have your friend taken to the hospital."

Riku looked at Chika. She smiled weakly, "I'm fine guys, really, it's just a scratch."

Kiri nodded, her anger already faded. They gradually walked to the other end of the building and joined the few other genin that were there. They received some stares during their slow march with their bloody comrade, but decidedly ignored them.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the Hokage appeared, along with a few chuunin and jonin. Gaara was among them. When he saw his sister's team, he looked somewhat confused. Kiri shot him a look and he seemed to understand. He nodded slightly and crossed his arms.

"Congratulations to all of you! You have passed the second part of the exam!" Tsunade seemed pleased, but then she saw just how many had passed.

"What?! Only three teams this year? How did we go from sixteen to _three_?"

A jonin cleared his throat, "Well, there were those who lost battles against the teams who now stand before us, a few who foolishly opened their scrolls, and some who…didn't quite make it all the way up."

"Ah," the Hokage paused, "Then we won't be in need of any preliminaries, will we? Then I will start by telling you the true purpose of this exa-"

In that instant, Chika suddenly convulsed and began coughing uncontrollably. Blood trickled down her chin and she fell from the grasp of her comrades. Shock ran through the crowd as more blood spilled from her lips. Riku bent down and held her.

"So this is 'just a scratch'?" he muttered. He looked at Tsunade, "If she is not going to be taken care of properly, then I shall take her home. She is in no state to finish the exam, and if she can't, then neither will I."

He gently lifted Chika and stood so that he was holding her in his arms. She had stopped coughing, but now lay limp in his arms.

"If you will escort us out?" He said to Kiri. She nodded and followed him as he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Tsunade sighed, "We should have a few medical nin stop them before they leave the village; who knows how injured that girl is."

"Do not worry, Lady Tsunade," Gaara assured her, "That young shinobi knows enough to keep her safe and in good enough condition until they reach Sunagakure. Besides, you wouldn't be able to stop him even if you sent the entire Anbu squad."

"And what about your sister? Does she intend to quit as well?"

Gaara grinned slightly, "I don't think the thought even crossed her mind."

------

"Do you have everything you need?"

The Sand genin were striding through the village toward the gate, Kiri holding a pack loaded with supplies and Riku carrying Chika on his back. Riku nodded, "Yes, there are enough rations for a few days and some medical supplies as well, just in case." He quickly glanced over his shoulder at the pale and lifeless form resting there.

Kiri smiled sincerely, "She'll be fine."

They had reached the gate now and were greeted by two leaf shinobi. Kiri quickly assured them, "They have permission from Lady Hokage to leave, and I am simply escorting them for a little while. I should return shortly." The guards nodded and waved them on.

"Do you mind running?" Riku asked. Kiri shook her head and they dashed off.

They had been running for about fifteen minutes when they stopped. "This should be far enough." Kiri said. Chika raised her head and grinned. She gracefully leapt onto the ground and strode over to Kiri, "So, how was my acting?"

Kiri's eyes were sunflowers, "They don't call you the God of Illusions for nothing."

Chika giggled and blushed slightly, "Thanks. So, what's in the bag?"

Kiri emptied the contents of the backpack onto the ground, "Rocks and leaves." She folded it up and placed it in her shuriken pouch. "You know, I wasn't quite sure we'd be able to pull this off, but we did. And now, I am so relieved to finally be able to do this." She formed a hand sign, "Release!" Riku disappeared and the façade of Chika vanished to reveal Gobi.

"Let's go back."

As they were walking, Kiri posed one more question, "Go, back when we were fighting that team on the mountain, there was this huge water wave that completely demolished that blonde. What was that? Was that you?"

The demon trotted next to Kiri, _"No, that was all you."_

"Really?" Kiri felt herself blush, "Wow, I guess I didn't think I was that strong without you."

_"You are, and you will become stronger. I have faith in you."_ She then disappeared inside Kiri, and anyone passing by would have seen a blushing girl humming to herself and walking away from the tracks of a wolf.

------

**A/N:** Well, there you have it! The very late holiday gift to my readers, and I hope you enjoyed it! I know it was very long, but I don't want to keep you waiting any longer than necessary for the actual storyline. I promise, only one or two more chapters of flashbacks to go! Anyway, I thank you once again for all of your reviews and now I shall reply to them! Oh and if you want a disclaimer, refer to chapter 2 :P

And before I forget, (I already did actually) there is a poll on my profile where YOU can decide who you want Kiri to fight in the last battle of the exam! So vote and your choice may be the one that ends up in the story!

Dimly: I am very happy that you like Chika, I wanted her to be different. Sweet and caring, but still capable of bloodthirsty murderous rampages; the PERFECT combination, haha. And yes, the link on your profile does indeed work. As for Kakashi and Lee, you'll just have to wait and find out! (Oh, and by the way, your story ROCKS!!)

Blue Fire Lily: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and yes, Kiri's eyes do reflect her emotions. Sorry if you were confused, I sometimes don't make things very clear…

Camilla-chan: Thank you very much! I hope you are pleased with this chapter as well!

VampireArgonian92: Thanks, I plan to start working on the next chapter as soon as possible. Right now I have exams coming up, but I should begin writing once they're done with. I'll try not to take so long next time either!

blank notebook: I know I'm certainly not among the best writers, but it makes me happy to know that you think I write well. Maybe eventually I will get better! I know they change the exam layout; I did that to throw you off! Did you like the mountain layout?

As always, thank you for reading and I anticipate your reviews!


	5. The Finals

**Chapter 5**

"I cannot go out there."

"Yes you can."

"B-but look! _Everyone _is out there!"

"Yes, and you should be too."

"Kankuro-nii!!"

"Kiri, you'll be fine. Remember how we practised? Besides, you only have to go out for this and your battles."

"If you say so Temari-nee…" Kiri peered out at the massive crowd in the stadium. She and her siblings were standing in the small lookout below the stands. The other competitors were getting ready to go down for the introduction, but Kiri was frozen to the spot.

Temari grasped Kiri's shoulders gently, "We'll all be watching. You're going to win for sure."

Kankuro grinned, "How could she not with family like us?"

Kiri smiled half-heartedly. A voice sounded down below in the stadium, "Hello and welcome to the Chuunin Exam!"

The others began poofing down. Kiri looked uncertain, her grey eyes staring at the floor.

"I don't know…maybe I can-whoa!" She suddenly fell backwards and was lifted by some sand. She was then transported to the centre of the stadium where she gently slid onto the ground beside one of her opponents.

"Alright, alright…" she muttered under her breath. Her hand suddenly itched and when she lifted it she saw a small bit of sand swirl around it before it fell to the ground. She smiled, but a soft gasp made her look up. The boy that stood beside her wore a shocked expression as he stared at her—no doubt he had seen the sand—and he looked like a younger version of the spandex-wearing jonin who had almost foiled Kiri's plan.

"Uhm…h-hi," Kiri stammered.

The boy seemed to remember that he was staring and, embarrassed, quickly extended his hand. "Would you like some help?"

Kiri took the hand and pulled herself up. "Thanks," she murmured.

"No problem."

A short awkward silence followed, and then, "My name is Lee, by the way. Rock Lee."

"I am Kiri."

Lee laughed softly, "That's kind of an ironic name, is it not? For someone from a dry and waterless country," he nodded to the headband tied around her neck, "to be named 'mist'."

Kiri blinked and she smiled, her eyes shifting slowly to yellow. Then she too laughed, "I never thought of it that way. That is pretty funny."

They laughed quietly for a moment before Lee asked, "So, do you know Gaara of the Sand?"

"Well I should, he _is _my brother," She laughed again when his jaw dropped. "It's hard to tell; we look nothing alike. I'd be surprised if anyone here knows who I am, unless of course if I told them." She suddenly gasped, "Wait! Lee! I know you! Yeah, niisan told me all about you."

"H-he did?" Lee looked slightly worried.

Kiri smiled and nodded, and then spoke seriously, "I look forward to fighting you; it would be an honour."

Totally taken aback, Lee blushed slightly, "Thank you, I—"

He was cut off by the proctor, a man with a long scar across his nose. "Are we all here now? Good. This part of the exam is an all-out anything goes versus battle. Each fight will end when either one opponent is unable to continue, or if I decide to stop it. As you know, the first set of opponents has already been chosen, and the other pairings will be decided as the exam goes on."

He held up the battle schedule. Kiri read the names quickly. _Kiba I. and Tenten, Kiri, that's me, and Hinata H., Neji H. and Shino A., and then Rock Lee. _She glanced down the line at Hinata. _Hmm…she seems quiet, but looks can be deceiving. She looks related to that other guy as well. _She shuddered involuntarily. _He looks really powerful; let's hope he loses early on…_

The Iruka spoke again, "Okay, everyone but Tenten and Kiba can return to the viewing area."

Kiri poofed up along with the others. Since her siblings had gone up to the spectators seating, she was alone and so leaned against the railing to watch the match. As she stared out into the arena, she heard Lee come up behind her.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted, "You?"

"More excited than anything."

They stood and watched the first battle for a few minutes.

"So," Kiri said, "who are you going to fight?"

"Well," he started, "Neji and Shino will battle and I will face whoever wins. To be honest, I hope I get to fight Neji; he is my team-mate and his skill is unparalleled." His face suddenly looked downcast, "However, I do not think I will be able to defeat him; he is my superior in fighting."

Kiri smiled encouragingly, "Of course you can, and you will! So who cares if he's supposedly the strongest out there? You've got several tricks up your sleeve, I'm told. And," her eyes flashed orange, "I can tell that you have the most skill that I have ever seen, just by looking at you."

He looked up with a small smile, "Really?"

She nodded.

A resounding slam made them both look up. In the arena, against the far wall, the girl slumped to the ground. A small crater marked the wall where she had hit.

"The winner is…Kiba Inuzuka!" Kiri stared at the boy below her. The red marks on his cheeks stood out among the dust and scrapes he had acquired. He grinned triumphantly, showing pointed canines. The crowd roared and the dog beside him barked happily.

Lee turned to Kiri, "I should go see how Tenten is. I will not be able to see the first part of your match, but I wish you luck." He smiled sincerely.

Kiri felt warmth spreading through her, and she sensed her eyes brightening to the most vibrant yellow. "Thank you," she said. He nodded and took off. Even after he left, her smile remained.

_What's this?_ Gobi asked, _You've never felt like this before, I can feel it._

_I know, _Kiri replied, _I feel…warm, and confident. Like when I'm with niisan, but a little different._

_I think you've found a friend._

"Friend…" she murmured quietly. _Yeah, my first friend…_

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the proctor: "Could the next contestants please come down!"

She sighed, "Here's my cue." Will graceful skill she leapt from the balcony and into the arena. Her opponent, Hinata, followed soon after. Her dark hair graced her shoulders and contrasted greatly against her fair skin and pale eyes. Kiri's own irises turned a bright violet. _I've been told she's a close range fighter and good at defence; it'll be interesting to see if I can manage to get close enough to strike._

"This should be a fun match," she murmured excitedly. Timid, the other girl inched closer, "Uh-um…"

Sensing her nervousness, Kiri placed a hand on her hip, smiled, and spoke, "May the best kunoichi win." Hinata hesitated at the sudden and unexpected gesture of kindness, but she smiled as well and nodded.

_And _that_ may be my only flaw: I'm too sweet._

_Trust me, _Gobi said, _you have plenty of others. _

Kiri chuckled quietly as Iruka began, "Ready?" Both girls nodded. "Then begin!"

Kiri made the first move by throwing a kunai at Hinata. Hinata's reflexes saved her and she threw one as well, deflecting Kiri's. Both girls leapt back in the process.

Hinata made a hand sign, "Byakugan!"

After performing a series of hand signs herself, Kiri pressed both hands together as though she was praying. A faint crackling could be heard, and it became louder as Kiri pulled her hands apart. On her right palm shone a golden circle that snapped and cracked like electricity. Holding it out so it wouldn't touch her, Kiri charged. At the last second, she jumped for the wall and, using it as leverage, went for an aerial attack.

"Lightni-"

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms Guard!"

Hinata began moving her hands rapidly, creating a spherical shield that encompassed her entirely.

"Whoa!" In a vain attempt to dodge the force field, Kiri twisted in midair, only to strike the shield on her right side. She bounced off and landed some distance away on the same side she had struck. The power faded from her palm. Wincing, she slowly stood with her hand grasping her sore shoulder.

_Crap, I'm not going to get anywhere near her with _that_ kind of defence,_ she thought as Hinata's chakra safeguard began to dissipate. _It covers her from all sides… _She paused as she observed the enlarged veins around her opponent's eyes. _And with her Byakugan ability, she's even stronger. If I could somehow perform a surprise attack, and catch her totally off-guard…_ Her expression quickly changed to one of mischief. _I've got it. Go, I may need your help with this one._

_I'm on it_, she growled.

Kiri started running towards Hinata, and Hinata mimicked her. Both girls were seemingly preparing for a full-on clash. Hinata hesitated for less than a moment when she saw white chakra beginning to flow through Kiri, and when they were inches away from one another, she stopped completely for Kiri had detonated a smoke bomb.

"Earth Dive!"

The cracking of earth and rock was heard and Hinata swiftly leapt back from the source. As the smoke cleared, she braced herself for the attack she thought was sure to come. But when all trace of smoke had vanished, so had Kiri, though a large hole was left in her wake. Hinata's eyes widened and she looked around frantically for her opponent. Ever so warily, she walked towards the hole. She wasn't far from the hole when a lavender-hued head popped out it. Hinata watched as her opponent leapt all the way out and charged at her, another jutsu seemingly at the ready.

Without time to counter, Hinata blocked. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms Guard!"

Her opponent pulled back just in time and retreated a safe distance away, all the while with a sly grin on her face.

"But why create that hole in the first place?" A bewildered Hinata murmured as she slowed her hands down.

"So I could do _this_!" It was muffled and muted. Hinata started and looked down. "Lightning Palm!" The ground shifted and split before Hinata's feet and the sound of snapping electricity was heard throughout the arena. Out from the ground burst Kiri with a triumphant grin. She struck Hinata squarely on the chest with her open, glowing palm. She was thrown several feet into the air and landed hard on the ground with a _thud_. Sparks of electricity continued to hover around her for a few moments.

The other 'Kiri' joined the original. "So, did I distract her enough?"

Kiri's grin widened, "Perfectly." Gobi smiled and vanished like mist.

Iruka glanced over at Hinata, who lay unconscious, then shouted to the crowd: "The winner is…Kiri!"

The entire stadium erupted in a loud and thunderous roar. Never before had Kiri been cheered on by anyone other than her siblings, and it felt wondrous. People usually tended to look down on her, but to hear them celebrate her victory, it was almost heaven. Her eyes turned a brilliant tangerine colour and she laughed when she heard 'Woot! GO KIRI!' from her brother; you can guess which one.

Iruka walked over to her, "Congratulations. You may go back up to the balcony" He smiled.

Kiri nodded and poofed up. No sooner than she had done so, she was greeted,

"Congratulations! You have done well, from what I saw anyway."

She turned and saw Rock Lee. "Lee!" she said, "Thanks. How's Tenten; will she be all right?"

Lee nodded, "Yes, she had a rough battle, but she should recover well. In fact, I think she is more sore over losing than anything." He smiled.

Kiri smiled in return, "That's a relief, I hate to see anyone in pain." Still excited from her victory, she lifted herself onto the railing and leaned against the wall. Her golden eyes gazed over the arena. She could just see her siblings sitting at the other end, talking with a few old friends from the village.

"So, next is…"

"Neji Hyuga and Shino Aburame! Please come down!" called Iruka.

Lee laughed, "Exactly."

Kiri and Lee watched the fight, and she had to admit, it was quite interesting. Both competitors were putting up a good fight, and at times she couldn't even guess as to who might win.

_I will say, this is even interesting for _me_ to watch_, said Gobi.

As it went on though, Kiri couldn't help noticing how tense Lee became. By the end of it, it was clear he was nervous. Neji had won and now Lee would be his opponent. Concerned, Kiri reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, "Whatever happens will happen, and you will be fine." Her calm and comforting green eyes held his gaze and swiftly shifted to orange. "Besides, it's my fight next. You get to wait some more before we get to see who I'll be facing in the final round." She grinned impishly.

Suddenly, she shifted her weight and fell over the side of the railing. Twisting in midair she landed and looked up at Iruka with blazing violet eyes. "So, can we start now?"

He shook his head and sighed, motioning for Kiba to come down. Once they were both present, he shouted: "Let the battle begin!"

Starting, Kiba used his first jutsu. "Ninja Art Beast Mimicry:All-Fours Jutsu!" His appearance shifted, becoming more animal-like as he got down on all fours while Akamaru leapt onto his back.

Not giving Kiri any time to react, he acted again: "Man-Beast Clone!" he shouted, and Akamaru transformed into an exact copy of his canine-like master.

Leaping back quickly in case of attack, Kiri chuckled. _So that's how he wants to play…_

She focused her chakra, "Shadow of the Wolf!"

Enveloped in chakra, Kiri felt herself begin to change as well. _Two can play at that game._ Her nails sharpened into points, her teeth grew long and sharp, and her eyes shifted so they resembled those of a wolf, glowing violet.

Kiba himself was shocked at this, for he did not think that anyone outside of his clan could use such a technique. Not letting that stop him, he and Akamaru lunged themselves at Kiri. She however was ready for him. Quickly dodging, she veered around so their backs were to her and leaped into the air. "Demon Slash!"

With the force and sharpness of a katana, she raked her claws across the back of one of her attackers. Almost immediately, he vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log. She gasped in surprise, _Substitution!_ When she landed and turned around, she saw them, propelling towards her so fast she could not even see them clearly.

"Fang Over Fang!"

The impact struck Kiri with a force so great that she could not even describe. They pushed her back and slammed her against the wall and continued to drive her against it.

_Kiri!_ She heard Gobi shout from within.

The two finally stopped and retreated, leaving Kiri to fall to the ground, bruised and broken. She slowly changed back to her normal appearance and a soft groan escaped her lips.

_I…I can't lose…_

Sluggishly, she propped herself up with one arm and began to stand. Shakily, she stood before Kiba, panting slightly from the effort. For the second time, she shocked him.

"I will not…" she said audibly, "lose. I've made it this far, and there's no going back!"

In the short time she had, she located a water tower in the town. "Water Style: Water Manipulation," she murmured.

Having heard her, Kiba frantically looked around and braced himself for an attack. Nothing. Then, Kiri started giggling quietly. Raising her arms, in a singsong voice she said, "Let it rain…"

A shadow covered the arena. An audible gasp resounded across the stadium as a huge mass of water was suspended above them. Wide-eyed, Kiba looked at Kiri who smiled.

"Let it POUR!!!" She brought her arms down in a swift, rough motion and the water plunged into the stadium like a missile leaving its sole targets with no escape. As it struck the duo it fanned out into the rest of the arena until Kiri was ankle-deep in water.

Once the water had settled, everyone could see Kiba and Akamaru knocked-out cold. Stunned, Iruka raised his arm, "The winner is…Kiri."

For a moment, the crowd remained silent, and then two cheers started an eruption of yells and clapping. Smiling, Kiri staggered forward but before she took a step her mind swam. _Ugh…crap, I've used…too much…chakra…_

The last thing she felt was her body hitting cold water.

_________

"Kiri? Kiri? Can you hear me?"

The light was blinding. She didn't want to open her eyes.

"Kiri?!"

_Please wake up young one._

Hearing Gobi's voice made Kiri's eyes fly open. Standing around her were her three siblings, all with worried looks on their faces, even Gaara, in a makeshift hospital.

"Oh Kiri!" Temari leaned down and hugged her sister.

"O-onee-chan?" she murmured feebly, "What happened?"

It was Kankuro who replied, "You used too much of your chakra, and passed out because of it. Unfortunately they declared you unfit to continue and disqualified you. You haven't been here long though."

"Oh," was all she could say as she sat up. _Well, at least I didn't lose_.

_That's all very well, but you scared me! Why did you do such a fool-brained thing?_ Said Gobi.

_Heh, I just didn't want to lose._

Gobi just sighed.

Realization hit Kiri, "Who won then? Lee or that Neji guy?"

"We don't know; the fight is still going on." Temari replied.

"I have to go watch then!"

"You will do no such thing! You're not fit to move yet."

"But!"

Gaara walked around the gurney she was laying on until he was at her side, "I'm sure the fight will turn out well."

Kiri sighed.

"That was a foolish thing to do," he continued, "But it was a good move, and we're proud of you for pulling it off."

She blushed; it was high praise coming from her brother.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard racing down the hall towards them, and Lee appeared, looking worse than he could be.

"Kiri!" He said when he spotted her. "You're okay! Guess what? I won! I was able to defeat Neji; you were right!"

Joy flooded Kiri as she smiled, "That's great Lee!"

He nodded, "And guess what else? They are going to make me a chuunin as well as you for your strategic planning and awesome combat skills!"

This time Kiri's eyes shone with the brilliance of a thousand suns. "Really?!"

He nodded again. Soon everyone was smiling and laughing and congratulating. And then someone finally asked the question many were wondering.

"So, Kiri, where _did_ you get all that water?" Lee asked.

She giggled, "Let's just say the water tower is going to need some major repairs."

End Flashback

_________________

**A/N: **Oh boy. It is very early in the morning and I hope you guys liked this! I decided I should probably finish since I promised this chapter almost a year ago. Ta-Da! Here it is. So it's the end of the flashbacks (what a relief) and now we'll be back to the present. I do have a little itty-bit of bad news: I have forgotten where I was going with this. Nonono! I will not give up on it, and I know I can go for a bit longer but after a certain point I was having mixed feelings about whether this or that should happen. This is just a forewarning that…updates may not be very quick. I apologize profusely for this, but I will not give up on this story. If Kiri has to die by a tragic accident with a spork then so be it! There will be an ending.

And uhm....reviews are REALLY appreciated. And if I don't get any reviews, I won't update. That is just how it's going to be, I will not update if no one is reading.

Anyway, to make things easier, I will give you a guide to Kiri's eye colours and her emotions. It's just a guideline so my failures in writing do not keep you from understanding the story.

red-anger

orange-jubilent/mischievous

yellow-happy

green-harmonious

blue-sad

violet-excited

pink-love

black-fear

grey-nervous

white-shy

brown-calm

So, as always, I will reply to my faithful reviewers:

Dimly: It's no problem. I rather enjoyed it. And thank you! I was so worried that scene would fail, but your comment has given me confidence! :D

Sunshineemomix: Thank you, I will try to keep it that way.

Black Claided Cat: I am sorry that I did not update right away I really will try my best to not procrastinate and write when I get the idea.

Midnight's Eyes: Thank you, I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. I apologize to you as well.


	6. The Ultimate Gift

Chapter 6

"Kiri! It's time to wake up!"

I shift and roll over.

"Kiri! Come on! This cake won't make itself!"

My eyelids flutter as I snuggle deeper under my blankets. "She can be so loud..." I mumble to myself.

"KIRI!" A new voice, "Don't make me send Crow up there!"

Suddenly wide awake, I throw back my blankets and briefly stretch before running downstairs.

"Morning Temari-nee, Kankuro-nii." I say as I grab an apple from the bowl on the table.

My sister sighs, "Well, it's about time." She's standing at the kitchen counter, mixing something.

My brother, sitting at the table, smirks, "We thought we were going to have to resort to more drastic measures." He twitches his fingers ever so slightly and in the corner his puppet, Crow, shifts and makes that terrible clacking.

I shudder involuntarily and bite into my apple, "I swear nii-san, I will NEVER get used to those..._things_."

"What is it doing in the kitchen anyway?" my sister chimes in.

"Technically Temari, it's in the dining room," rebuts Kankuro before turning to me, "And Crow is not a _thing_, he's a puppet."

I roll my eyes while Temari continues, "I don't care, it's yours so it should stay in your room. I don't want extra eyes on me while I cook anyway."

Kankuro just smirks and takes a sip of his coffee. I lean against the counter and notice the time.

_'I didn't think it was this late.'_

_'Well then perhaps you shouldn't stay up so late every night.'_

I smile, _'Good morning to you too, Gobi.'_

I turn to Temari, "So what kind of cake are you making onee-chan?"

"Just a simple vanilla cake. I want you to frost it if you don't mind; you're the artistic one in the family," she says as she pushes her loose hair from her face.

"Why don't I take over now? I think I'm perfectly capable of mixing."

She nods, "All right."

Tossing the remains of my apple in the garbage, I continue stirring the cake mix while my sister sits down with a cup of coffee.

"So where's Gaara-nii anyway?" I ask as I pour the mix into the pan.

"Oh, you know, out performing his duties as the Kazekage." replies Kankuro.

Frustrated, I slam the oven door. "But it's his birthday! Couldn't they even give him one day off?"

He shrugs, "You know how the elders are."

I set the timer and run upstairs. "I'm going to go out and get the groceries for dinner tonight!" I call.

I quickly change and freshen up, removing any traces of sleep. Before running back downstairs, I pause and scrutinize the image in the mirror. My simple brown shirt hangs loosely at my shoulders, the sleeves large and cut off above the elbows. The low, wide neckline shows off a tight-knit fishnet undershirt. Highlighted by the shirt, my lavender locks are heavily streaked with white and fall just to my waist. Black shorts carry the money I need and a small pouch at my leg holds a few shuriken, just in case. Shining yellow orbs stare back at me as I add the final touch: I tie my black headband around my neck, just like Temari-nee used to.

Satisfied, I run downstairs. "Is there anything you guys want while I'm out?"

"We're almost out of coffee." says Kankuro.

"Scratch 'almost'," interjects Temari as she peers into her now empty cup.

I grin, "All right. I'll be back in a bit." And with that, I venture outside.

XxXxXxXxXx

It really is a nice day; the sun is high in the sky and little fluffy white clouds dot the horizon. I make my way toward the market.

_'The butcher should have some tongue for sale.'_

_'He may not have any though. Remember last time, we could not find any.' _Gobi reminds me.

I sigh. _'That wouldn't be good. What would I make for his birthday dinner then?'_

_'Perhaps you should have bought some sooner.'_

I laugh out loud, which gains me a few weird looks from others on the street. Still smiling I blush with embarrassment.

_'You know that as soon as nii-san found it in the fridge, he'd have it gone in a heartbeat.'_

I hear a low rumble in my head, and I know she is amused.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

After traipsing around town for a bit and getting everything I need I head for home. All of a sudden, I hear them. The whispers of others, knowing who I am, what I am. The kind folk in the market district hardly ever pay heed to the oddities of their customers. This, however, was not the market district.

Being the intelligent one in my family, I always take shortcuts through Suna, and they usually lead me in the shadier or richer areas. Both have people that look down on everyone, and even the pompous rich can be deadly. This is the part of town where the old men come to cheat on their wives and where thieves and lowlifes gather and gamble.

The whispers seem to grow louder.

"That's _his _sister, isn't it?"

"Pretty on the outside, but a monster on the inside. Pity."

I take a deep breath and keep walking. My eyes flicker red for a moment then switch to brown as I calm down. _Just keep walking. They're just moronic, shallow cretins. Nothing you should concern yourself with, _I tell myself.

They persist, and boldly grow louder.

"Having one monster in our village is one thing but _two_? And one as our leader?"

"Shh! Do you want to get killed?"

"This village is going to fall, and it will be all because of _them_."

I've had it. Eyes burning crimson, I whip around to the last person who spoke. "If you're such a tough guy, then why don't you say that again to my face?"

The speaker is shabby and thin, with a toothpick hanging from his mouth as he leans against a wall. His eyes narrow as they meet mine, "I said, this village is going to fall, and it will be all because of you and your monster brother."

I scoff, "Well it seems as though my _monster_ brother has done a lot of good for this village. Much more than any thieving lowlife like you could ever dream to do."

A few of his buddies gather around him as he starts toward me, "Y'know, you talk pretty big for a little girl. I bet you're nothin' without big scary brother here to protect you." He laughs cruelly.

I just smirk. One of his buddies has a drink in his hand. I flick a finger and the liquid rockets out of his mug and into big-shot's face. My smirk widens.

_'Kiri-'_

Startled, he wipes the grog from his face. Fury can be clearly seen as he takes another step toward me.

"Girly, I don't care who you are, but you're going to pay for that." Quick as a whip, he flicks out a knife and lunges for me. I jump, parcels still in hand, and neatly dodge him. He slashes for me again, but I deflect and kick him squarely in the chest, knocking him over. I am about to attack again when I hear a call:

"Kiri! Stop."

I look up. Gaara is standing just a few feet away from my opponent. "That's enough."

I hesitate, thinking about defying my brother and beating this no-good rat into a bloody pulp. But I look at him again and see the calm look in his eyes and I know that he is right. Giving one last glare to the man on the ground, I stride past him to where my brother is.

"Let's go home," he says quietly. As we turn to walk away, the ingrate has the audacity to taunt us,

"Yeah, that's what I thought! You ain't nothin' by yourself and now you're runnin' away like a dog with its tail between its legs." He laughs as he stands up.

Gaara abruptly turns around and gives him the coldest look, "You're lucky that I won't have you arrested for assault, and that I came when I did." If possible his glare got even frostier, "Because if I hadn't, you would be a pile of blood and bones by now." And with that he walks away, motioning for me to follow.

The man still throws a few unintelligible insults, but in a shakier voice now, I can tell. Gaara flicks his wrist ever so slightly and I glance behind just in time to see a pile of sand drop on top of the rat. I stifle a giggle as his buddies try to help him out.

"You could've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble, Kiri."

My attention is immediately focused on my brother now, "But nii-san, the things he was saying, what they were _all_ saying, am I supposed to just take it without doing anything about it?"

He sighs, "To a point, yes. Most of those that whisper and mock are merely afraid and attacking like that will only fuel their fears. As well," He rests his arm around my shoulders, "There are those just waiting for an excuse to start an uprising."

I stare at him nervously with grey eyes, "But nii-san! You're a great Kazekage! Who would want to go against you?"

He smiles sadly, "There are those who simply disagree with the way I have been running things, and those who just don't like _what_ is running things." He suddenly stops and has this faraway look in his eyes, "But someday Kiri, your brother will become the Kazekage that everyone will accept, and in turn they will accept those they deem 'outcasts'." He pauses for a moment longer and then smiles a bit and continues walking. He then notices, it seems for the first time, the bag I am carrying.

"What did you go shopping for?"

I grin, my eyes returning to a bright shade of yellow. "Oh, you know, coffee, tomatoes for the salad, salt tongue..."

His face lit up just a bit when I said the last item, "Really? I thought they were all out at the butchers?"

"You know I'd do anything for my nii-san," I nudge him lightly with my elbow; "He had some in the back that I could have. Besides, you need to have your favourite dish on your birthday right?"

He laughs just a little and we smile as we walk the rest of the way home.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Sitting around the dining table, my siblings and I are staring at Gaara, waiting for him to blow out the candles on his birthday cake. But he is just staring at the cake, appalled and disgusted.

"C'mon nii-san!" I urge with pleading orange eyes, "Blow out your candles and make a wish!"

"Yeah Gaara, you want to eat the lovely cake we made for you, don't you?" Kankuro smirks as he says this, and Gaara just glares.

Now, there really isn't anything wrong with the taste of the cake, Temari-nee and I made it perfectly this morning. And when Gaara-nii and I came home, Temari was putting the first layer of frosting on it, and it was still okay. Then when I was in the process of drawing Gaara's face on the cake, it was still fine. The problem arose only when I left the cake unattended for five minutes. Kankuro decided that he wanted to help while I helped Temari-nee fix some fallen decorations. He helped all right. I think it looks kinda pretty, but, uh, Gaara-nii...

"Brother, I do not think I can forgive you for this." Kankuro just grinned sheepishly.

He put 'HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN GAARA-CHAN' in bright pink frosting on the cake with little flowers and hearts around it. If that wasn't enough, he made the Gaara on the cake have long hair with a bow in it and turned the kanji 'ai' into a heart. Like I said, it's kinda pretty.

"But we worked hard on it nii-san," I say awkwardly.

'_Well, your brother helped too,' _Gobi inputs_, 'And I must say that he made it quite amusing.'_ I can hear her laugh.

"Temari-nee and I did, anyway."

He gives me a small smile, "It looks great except for the interference of our moronic brother." He gives Kankuro a sideways glance, then closes his eyes and blows out all of his candles. We clap as he begins to cut the cake.

"So what did you wish for Gaara?" asks Temari-nee as Gaara hands her a piece.

"He can't say or it won't come true, right nii-san?"

Gaara just smiles and passes out the rest of the cake. We all dig in and there is barely any talking since Temari-nee and I seemed to do a great job on the dessert. As we finish, I stand up and raise my arms into the air;

"Time for presents!" I shout and I quickly run up to my room to grab my gift. I rummage through my closet until I find it. _It's a good thing that nii-san isn't the type to snoop._ I grab it and run downstairs to find that my siblings have already retrieved their gifts.

As we are gathered around, Gaara opens Temari's gift first. He opens the box and pulls out a small cactus with tiny buds on it.

"It's a rare iriai cactus. I found it during my last mission in the southern part of the country. It only blooms at sunset. I thought you might like to add it to your collection."

Nii-san carefully set the cactus on the table. We all know how much he likes to garden, especially when it comes to cacti.

"Thank you Temari, I will take good care of it."

He then opens Kankuro's gift. He reaches inside the bag and pulls out a smallish clear, corked bottle full of red sand.

"I'm not exactly sure what kind of sand it is, but I found it in the driest part of the country. I experimented with it a bit and found that no matter how wet it gets, it repels the water so it never turns to mud."

Gaara uncorks the bottle and flicks his wrist as the sand flies out and hovers in the air. His eyes widen in surprise, "It's light," he remarks. He then sends the sand back into the jar.

My smile is wide as I hand Gaara my gift, "Here's mine nii-san!" My eyes sparkle violet. "I wasn't sure what to get you, but then I saw this and-"

_**BOOM!**_

The noise startles us all and is followed by another. Anxious, I follow my siblings as we move towards the door. Suddenly, one of the guards bursts through the door, panting and looking worn.

"Kazekage-sama!" he gasps, "There's a riot, a mob outside of the walls of your home!"

_**BOOM!**_

I can now hear the buzz of many voices. The night air is cold.

He continues, "They're also trying to break down the gates. We've been trying to push them back, but there are far too many!"

Ah. So that is what that was.

_**BOOM!**_

The buzz has turned into words:

"_Come out here coward!"_

"_Monster!"_

I start to shake, and my eyes flicker between grey and black.

'_Kiri...' _She is speaking I know, but I can't acknowledge her.

My brother speaks: "How many are there? What do they want?"

_**BOOM!**_

"I-I don't know, sir. At least half of the town, maybe more," I can see that he is shaking as well, "They-they're calling for your resignation sir..."

I can hear them...

"_One monster was bad enough!"_

"_You'll ruin us!"_

"...and for your exile."

That's it. I push past the guard and run for the wall.

_**BOOM!**_

'_Kiri, what are you...oh no...'_

I can hear my siblings calling after me. I dodge the sand that tries to stop me.

'_Please, child, don't do this!'_

I climb the wall with ease and reach the top.

'_I have to...I HAVE TO! It's the only way, the only way to save...'_

I look down to see the massive swath of people below. Some have torches, others hold a battering ram. Several have makeshift weapons, while others are bare-handed. A few notice me, and nudge others and point. Soon, everyone is looking and the crowd is silent.

I take a deep breath "People of Sunagakure!" My voice is shaking, "Listen to me!"

"You say you don't approve of the way our village is being run. You say you don't want m-m..." I pause. "...us here. You think we will bring ruin to this village."

I try to sound more confident, but my eyes are still black with fear. "But you are wrong. Ever since my brother became Kazekage, our village has been more prosperous than ever. Still, you cannot see past the fact that he used to be someone to be feared, and because of that, you see it in me as well. You want him gone, but the truth is we will be worse off without him."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "So, if you can spare my brother, the greatest leader we have had..."

'_Please Kiri...don't do this to yourself.'_

"I will offer myself in his place."

The crowd gasps and murmurs in surprise.

"You can order me into exile, imprison me, whatever will appease you."

The crowd continues to murmur and then nod and finally they shout and raise their fists in approval.

Tears begin to fall, making my hair stick to my cheeks. I've always tried to be strong and fierce, but this time, I can't. My voice cracks as I say my last words,

"S-so be it."

"KIRI!" I hear vaguely hear a shout behind me, but it is drowned out by the pounding of my heart.

'_I'm so sorry Gobi...'_

I spread my arms and let myself fall, just waiting for the piercing agony that awaits me.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

**A/N: **To my dear readers,

Here it is! The sixth chapter of Sand Sister. I hope you enjoyed it. I am sorry that I did not finish it earlier, but I will use gradumatation from high school and then the transition to a frosh in university as my excuse. I told you that it will end and that it will not be left as an incomplete story, and I plan to go through with that. These next few chapters are going to be key in deciding what is going to happen next; whether it will end in a chapter or two, or progress into a 30+ chapter story that will be loved or hated by tens of people. So stay tuned! I have made it my 'starting university resolution' to not forget about my beloved readers and try to write more and more frequently.

And yes, I know Gaara is a little OOC, and maybe some of the other characters are too and I just haven't noticed, but it is my story and I can write it how I want, right? And I know that maybe the gifts Gaara received weren't the most exciting, but do you know how hard it is to come up with a non-ridiculous gift? I also have a poll that I am going to put up about new stories and oneshots that I may start. Feel free to vote and let me know what YOU think, because YOU are the ones who will be reading.

Sadly, no one reviewed chapter 5 :( So I am not able to comment on any reviews. This just shows how much you all love me...*sniff sniff* On the bright side though, we have a new reader with us! Welcome Narinu Narasu!

That is all for now, but I hope you will all await chapter 7! Until next time!

~Wolf Flower


	7. Another Fate is Waiting

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Naruto. If I was Kishimoto-sensei, I would have mad skills wouldn't I?

**A/N: **For those who care, I had to switch the verb tense I had been using because present makes me want to shoot myself in the face and it never sounds right to me. And I apologize for the extreme delay, which I blame on the first year of university and a summer job. I will try to get the next chapter up a bit sooner.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

The air whooshed past me, and the roar of it drowned out the yells of the crowd. My eyes were closed; I did not want to see what awaited me. For a moment I imagined that I was flying and I could picture in my mind's eye the blue sky, the cotton-ball clouds, and the vast earth below.

Suddenly, it felt like my gut exploded. I flinched and grit my teeth, but I refused to cry out. It seemed as though burning hands were tearing my insides out, almost like a part of me, my soul, was being ripped from my body. My mind became clouded with pain and I felt close to blacking out. _'Is this what dying feels like?'_

Then, the roars of the wind and of the crowd were replaced by a much more terrible bellow, full of aggression. I felt something like silk being wrapped around me, and my descent came to a halt. As my head began to clear, I noticed a few raised voices coming from above, but below me was a hushed silence. I dared to open my eyes and what I saw both relieved and terrified me. One of Gobi's snow-white tails was wrapped around me and her claws were deeply dug into the wall. Like a cat climbing a tree, she slowly scaled the wall until we were both safely at the top where she pulled me close to her side and licked me with her massive tongue.

_'Do not ever do that again, child.'_

Protests began to arise from the crowd, but Gobi turned quickly to them and growled fiercely, teeth bared and fur raised. Her eyes were murderous and I know that she wouldn't hesitate to kill. But I still couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Wasn't I supposed to be dead, impaled, and ripped apart by the angry mob? How in the world did Gobi come out without me summoning her? And what about nii-san?

Dizzily, I turned to where I had last seen my siblings, but before I could I was engulfed in a massive hug. I was a bit surprised when I felt one set of arms wrap themselves around me, and even more so when another set took me and held me protectively away from the edge. I glanced up, "Kankuro-nii?" he had a hard look to him as he glared out at the mob, and it softened briefly when he glanced down at me. I looked to my left, to where Temari was standing, her hand clasping mind.

"We're not letting you go that easily," she said staring straight ahead and trying to keep her voice hard, but I could tell she was on the verge of tears. I was completely shocked; Temari is one of those girls who would more quickly kill you than cry.

It was Gaara who surprised me the most though. I didn't even hear him come up behind me as he laid his hand on my shoulder.

"You should remember that it is the older siblings who take care of the younger, Kiri," he murmured before walking around Kankuro to face Gobi, still shielding us from the gazes of the onlookers. He placed a hand on her fur, "Thank you." Their eyes met, and her snarl slowly faded, though her fur was still bristled. She hesitated before nodding and backing away to stand behind me. I looked at her, angry and red met red as we glared at each other.

"_Why did you do that? And HOW did you do that?"_

She growled and bared her teeth, "_The only thing that matters is that you are safe! And just you wait until I am finished with you later!" _

My mood did a 180 and blue-grey flickered at the edge of my vision. I was shocked; Gobi had never been angry with me before. As I lowered my gaze, Temari sensed what had passed between us and spoke, "We were all very worried about you, Kiri." She tightened her grip.

"It is not up to you to make the decisions of the Kazekage," said Kankuro, "even if he is your brother."

I looked at Gaara, who now faced the crowd. I could not see his face, but I could tell by his posture that he was very tense, angry even. Instinctively, I shrank back; this was not going to be good.

He addressed the crowd with a rage in his voice like I hadn't heard in years, "Shameful! Absolutely shameful! You would willingly take the life of this innocent girl, _my_ _sister_, who has done no harm whatsoever to this village? The only thing that she is guilty of is being victim to the curse inflicted by the previous Kazekage."

The crowd was mostly silent, until a few voices tried to protest. But Gaara silenced them quickly.

"It's doesn't matter who's blood you get, as long as your thirst for it is satiated, am I right?" A few murmurs still hung on, and I could almost feel the fire and anger in the sand that shivered around me as he raised his voice even further. "AM I RIGHT?"

Pure silence finally fell upon the entirety of the mob. Realization dawned upon most of them and the handful that held pure hatred and who had begun the riot simply glared. A soft rustling could be heard as the majority lowered the weapons they had and there was a _THUNK!_ as the battering ram was dropped.

Gaara straightened, and the sand settled as he proceeded more calmly, "I am you Kazekage, and any problems you have with me stay with me. My family stays out of it. I admit, and sincerely so, that I have done wrong in the past many times over, but I swear that I have changed and you, the people of Sunagakure, have accepted that, as is shown by my current position." He paused, as if unsure of his next words: "For the time being, you are ALL to return to your homes in peace. If need be there will be shinobi escorts," He looked pointedly at those still glaring, "The council and I shall meet on these matters and a solution will be provided." With that he turned away and came to us.

"Temari, Kankuro, will you please take our sister into our home, where she will be safe?"

My eyes quickly flashed red again, "Gaara-nii you are NOT leaving me out of this!"

He looked at me calmly, "Kiri, you have been in enough trouble as it is. This is something the council and I must discuss."

I shook my head fervently, "No! This concerns the both of us! And I have just as much to say about it as your council members."

He held my gaze as I glared defiantly. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed, "Fine Kiri, but you must show proper respect for the council, and speak only when I allow it. Those are my terms."

I nodded as my orbs shifted to brown, and Kankuro and Temari released me from their protective grip as I followed my brother.

Gobi softly padded beside me and Gaara made steps of sand so we could get off of the wall. "So, nii-san," I ventured as we descended, "why aren't we just 'poof'-ing to the meeting room like we normally would?"

He kept staring straight ahead, "Because walking is a good relaxant and de-stressor."

My mouth formed a small 'O' and I decided to stay silent for the rest of the trip.

As we neared the hall, I mentioned to Gobi, "_You should probably leave your outside form so you don't cause a scene at the meeting._"

"_You're the one who causes scenes, child._"

"_Oh don't be smart with me. Just do it."_

Her lip curled into what could almost be considered a smile and she obliged. I could feel her trying to meld back into me, but something wasn't right. Whenever she tried, my stomach would throb with a dull pain, and it was as though she hit a barrier every time.

"_Can you please be careful, Go? It hurts a bit..._"

I heard her growl as she tried once again, more forcefully this time. I gasped in pain and my knees buckled, the surge of chakra was far too much. Gaara knelt quickly knelt beside me. "Kiri, what's wrong?" he asked, his brow knotted with concern.

"Just...having trouble re-absorbing Gobi." I winced as the pain continued to throb. Gobi reappeared beside me,

"_We may have to wait for a better time to try, child. I think my sudden burst out affected something..._"

I sighed with relief as the pain subsided, "Is there anything you can do until then?"

She nodded and as Gaara helped me to my feet, she shrunk. Once she was done, she looked like a small wolf pup, but with five tails. She barked, looking for approval. I couldn't resist as I gleefully snatched her up and nuzzled her, "You are so CUTE!"

A short puppy growl was the response, but then she licked my face. Gaara just shook his head.

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

The room was abuzz with arguments and opinions of the council. Gaara sat silently at the head of the table with Baki and I on either side. It was more noise than anything. I rubbed my temple in annoyance, and a vein began to throb in my forehead. Gobi was curled up in my lap, trying her best to ignore it as well, I am sure.

"Enough." Gaara called irritably. Eventually, the table fell silent and I breathed a small sigh of relief. He looked around at every member before speaking, "You know why you are here and there is no need to discuss it or how it started. We must choose how to proceed. Are there any suggestions?"

A small, beady-eyed man spoke up, "Obviously we cannot let it go and do nothing. We need to take some form of action or such a riot could very well happen again, and it could be worse."

Gaara nodded slightly in agreeance and rested a hand against his chin. A man with wide-rimmed spectacles spoke next, "I suggest that we discipline those who ignited the fuse of the explosion of hatred."

"Oh enough with your analogies, old man!" said a younger, lean man. "There is no possible way to single out the instigators, and even if we find some there will be those who get off unpunished and there may be innocents who are wrongly convicted."

"I bet I know who started it," I muttered darkly, thinking of the man and his lackeys who attacked me earlier. Gaara shot me a warning look before nodding at the young man, "Wisely put, Takashi. But that does not solve our current situation."

The table was silent for a moment, everyone either thinking or too scared to say what they thought. Then the young man named Takashi spoke quietly, a thoughtful yet hesitant expression on his face, "What if...what if we follow the demands of the mob?" I was horrified, as was everyone else, so it seemed. Gaara's eyes widened briefly before he settled upon a look of one who was deep in thought.

"Are you stark raving mad?" cried the beady-eyed man, pounding his fist on the table. "You suggest that we drive our Kazekage out into God-knows-where? You're just as bad as those anarchists!" Angry shouts of agreeance filled the room and seemed to make it shake. I had always liked Takashi, who was the youngest member of the council, besides my brother, but I never thought he would ever suggest such a thing!

Gobi sensed my unease and pressed her cold nose into my palm,_ "Do not jump to conclusions yet, child. He looks like he has more to explain."_

It was true, I realized as I glanced at Takashi. He had a worried and guilty look on his face as he stared at his hands on the table, taking all of the insults and accusations being thrown at him. Gaara seemed to notice this too.

"Please be silent," He said calmly. No one seemed to hear him though, as they continued to argue and accuse. Takashi, who was only a few seats away, heard him and as he did he looked at Gaara. Something like understanding passed between them, and Gaara simply nodded and closed his eyes before shouting at the top of his lungs: "ENOUGH!"

Everyone stopped mid-sentence, frozen by his sudden outburst, for Gaara is not one who raises his voice at slight provocations and when he does you don't usually want to be around.. Those who were raised out of their seats slowly lowered themselves. Gaara gave them all a warning glance before turning to Takashi, "You may continue."

Takashi's whole body seemed to relax in relief. He cleared his throat before continuing; "What I meant is this: the people are still uneasy about Kazekage-sama being, well, the Kazekage. We need to do something to relinquish their unease and bring them to trust, and they are most uneasy about the bijuu inside of him." He paused for a moment, "I thought that perhaps if the bijuu could be away from the townspeople for a while that Kazekage-sama could gain their trust."

"That is good in theory, Takashi," said Baki, "But there is no way to separate the jinchurriki from its beast, not without endangering their life."

Takashi hung his head while everyone else pondered some more and quietly discussed the options. I too reflected, glancing at Gaara every now and then. He seemed fairly calm, but terribly pensive. I stroked Gobi's fur for comfort. It was then that it hit me.

"I'll go," I whispered. Surprised, Gaara turned to me.

"I'll go," I repeated, louder. The council focused on me.

"Kiri, what do you mean?" Gaara said, puzzled.

"I mean, I will leave instead of you. Not necessarily into exile, I hope, but I will go live in another village until things have settled down."

The man with the spectacles nodded, "That is a wise suggestion for your age. Having more than one jinchurriki certainly puts tension on the people."

Takashi smiled and nodded vigorously, his wavy ponytail bouncing, "Yes, yes! Not exile at all, just a mere vacation or post in another village so the people can focus on Kazekage-sama and hopefully see past what they claim to be faults."

I looked at Gaara, "Well nii-san?"

He had his eyes closed and was rubbing his tattoo. I could tell he felt greatly conflicted. I laid my hand on his arm, "You don't need to worry nii-san," I whispered quietly so that only he could hear, "It won't be for forever, and I can go somewhere that we know. Gobi will be with me too, you can't forget that." Gobi nudged his arm as if agreeing.

He looked at me and his soft blue eyes met my brown ones. He sighed, "There would be limited, if any, contact, and you would most likely not be allowed to come home, even for a visit, until things have cleared. If Kankuro or Temari happen to be on a mission in that village then they might get to see you, but that is all."

My eyes turned blue as I looked down, "I know...I know..." I met his eyes again. "But it is for the good of the village, as well as your own. The Kazekage's priority is the country he serves and the shinobi he commands. The people of Suna fall under that." I smiled, "I won't be far nii-san."

I could tell he was hesitant, but in the end he sighed, defeated. We looked up at the other members again, not surprised to see them all staring at us, intrigued at our private conversation.

Gaara cleared his throat before addressing them, "We have decided that Kiri's short departure is a good choice, even if it is not favourable," he muttered the last part. He stood, "All in favour raise their hands."

No one moved, until Takashi slowly raised his hand. Baki followed him, and soon the entire council had raised their hands. Gaara nodded solemnly, "It is decided then. Council-"

"Wait!" The beady-eyed man interrupted, throwing his hands out. "We have not yet decided where she will go!"

I bit my lip and my eyes greyed. He was right, and who knows where I'll end up, the way these guys decide things?

But before anyone could say anything, the spectacled man threw in "Konohagakure."

I don't think anyone else had been expecting that; I certainly wasn't. Sure, I had anticipated that I would need to be a ways away, but I never thought I would go to a different country, let alone the village where the powerful Hokage resides!

Gaara narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Why do you say that?"

The old man readjusted his glasses before saying, "Well, not only will it help our relations with the Fire Country, but she will be able to keep up with her shinobi training and missions as an acting ninja for the Leaf. That is, of course, if the Hokage agrees." He turned to me with a friendly grin, "Besides, if I recall correctly, Miss Kiri took her chuunin exam in Konoha, and she just might have some friends there."

I had to smile at the thoughtfulness of the old man. It's true, I had kept in touch with Lee and it was nice to know that I wouldn't be entirely alone.

Gaara nodded. I knew he was on the same wavelength as me; he and Lee had also become good friends. "I will send a message to the Hokage at once, and if she does not agree I shall call another meeting." He glanced around to see if there would be any further objections or interruptions. When he saw none, he concluded, "Council adjourned."

As everyone was leaving, Takashi came up to us. He bowed deeply to Gaara, "Kazekage-sama, about earlier-" Gaara stopped him by laying a hand on his shoulder and raising him. Giving one of his rare little smiles he said, "Do not worry about it. The other members are simply judgmental because you are so young. Do not let them bother you or get in the way of your words."

Takashi grinned at this, and bowed slightly once again. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama." He turned to me, more solemn. "Kiri, I hope that you don't think I-"

It was my turn to assure him, "Takashi, I have known you long enough to know that your intentions are always pure."

He was a bit relieved, but still look troubled. "I am sorry that you have to go through with this though. There are more people than you think who will miss you." He looked away after he spoke.

Now, I could be wrong, but I felt as though there was more than a friendly meaning behind his words and my cheeks consequently turned a slight pink while my iris' turned white to reflect my immediate embarrassment and shyness. This is quite a new emotion for me. Gaara simply raised his eyebrow and glanced from me to Takashi.

"I-I, um…thank you, Takashi. I shall miss you as well."

This also resulted in a blush from him. "Well…I will see you later then." He half-smiled and looked as though he wanted to say or do something else, but in the end he just bowed to Gaara and left.

Gaara turned to me, a smirk playing on his lips, "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

I whipped around to face him. "Absolutely not! Takashi is just a friend, _our_ friend. Nothing more." My blush still didn't go away. Gaara just raised his eyebrow further. "I'm serious!" I huffed, "I just wasn't expecting that, is all…"

He nodded like he still didn't quite believe me and walked out to send a message to the Hokage. Gobi was still in my arms as I sighed.

_'We might as well go home, hm?'_

_'As long as you carry me,' _she replied, '_It's actually quite nice.'_

I chuckled, but in the back of my mind there still lingered the reality that I _was_ leaving. Leaving my family, my friends, my home, for a long time. My eyes flickered blue all the way home as I tried not to think about the fate I had sealed for myself.


	8. An Illusion of Normalcy

**Chapter 8**

The house was rather quiet when I got home. Normally it would be full of noise, from cooking and talking and other kinds of loud bickering that usually goes on. Tonight though, it was silent, save for a few rustlings and crinklings from Temari and Kankuro taking down the decorations. My sister looked oddly tired as she almost tripped over the pile of streamers. Putting Gobi down, I rushed over to her.

"Onee-chan..." I tried to help steady her but she waved me away, "I'm fine Kiri, don't worry about me." Then, just realizing that someone was missing, "Where's Gaara?"

She looked scared, and I knew she must be fearing the worst. I shook my head and patted her arm, "He's just at his office taking care of a bit of paperwork." I don't think she entirely believed me, but she nodded slightly.

I gently gripped her arm, "You look exhausted; why don't we save all of this for morning?"

Kankuro sighed and put down the decorations he had collected, "She's right Temari; there's no use tiring ourselves."

For a moment she looked as though she was going to try to fight me, but she too sighed. "All right. You win, for now." She smiled, not quite her trademark smirk, but it was enough to ease my mind.

Kankuro gently guided her towards the stairs before turning back to me, "So how did the meeting go?"

I didn't think he would bring it up so soon, and I glanced to the spot where Temari had just vanished from sight. He followed my gaze, but reassured me, "I think she's had enough excitement for one night. You wouldn't think it, and she certainly doesn't show it, but being the oldest actually puts quite a bit of strain on her."

I nodded once and Kankuro gestured for us to sit at the table. He ran his fingers through his brown hair as he sat and rested his crossed arms on the table. I sat with one hand on the table, and Gobi jumped up into my lap indicating I should pet her with the other.

Kankuro raised his eyebrow at mini-Gobi, "I will ask about _that_ later. First though..."

I averted his gaze and hesitated. I hadn't been this nervous at the meeting, so why was I now?  
He reached across the table and gently placed his hand on mine, making me turn to him. He smiled just a little bit, "Tell me everything."

I looked at my brother, and the fear and sadness that I had tried to control finally washed over me. I couldn't help it as I told him everything about the meeting, about the suggestions and decision of the council, and both Gaara's and my reactions. It was only when Kankuro hugged me that I realized I was crying. I didn't even notice that he had left his seat.

"Kiri," He said softly, "You have been very brave tonight, and you must be even braver tomorrow." I hiccuped and he continued. "For now though you are simply our sister and you don't need to hold back." He hugged me tighter, "We're always here for you, kid."

I don't know how long I sat there, crying into my brother's shoulder, but I do know that with every tear and every comforting word, one of my worries vanished. That's what Kankuro did; he may be the clown in our family, but he was the one who could always make me feel better. They each had their own thing like that. Temari showed me how to laugh at the little things that bothered me and she was there for 'girl talk'. Gaara would show me the reason for my problems and be the one to help me solve them, and he was there to help me control and express my emotions. Kankuro, as much of a fool as he is, is the comforter of the family. I can tell him almost anything and if he interjects it's to cheer me up. Sometimes though, like now, he would just hold me and let me get everything out.

At some point I think I must have fallen asleep, because I thought I heard the front door open and some hushed voices. Then I felt weightless; someone must be carrying me. The next thing I know is the soft comfort of my bed enveloping me and I fell into a deeper sleep.

xxxXXXxxx

I woke up the next morning wondering how on Earth I had made it to my bed the last night before my slightly puffy eyes kick-started my memory.

Gobi, who had been fast asleep next to me, came up and licked and nuzzled my cheek. I had to laugh, "Yes I am feeling better, thank you."

_'I am glad to hear it.'_

I realized that I was still in my clothes from yesterday, so I quickly changed before heading downstairs. I figured the same would do; a loose brown shirt and black shorts. A small thought struck me.

_'Gobi, do you ever wonder why we have multiples of the same outfits?'_

_'I just figured it was something you humans do.'_

"Huh," I said to myself, "Maybe I should get Temari-nee to go shopping with me."

When I arrived downstairs, I was surprised to find that I was the first one up; I'm usually the last to wake. I shrugged and started to make coffee, for even though I couldn't stand it I knew a few who would be extremely grumpy without it.

I began to make some breakfast as well, seeing as how, yet again, I knew there were a few in the household that would not do anything until they ate. While I was cooking I heard a high-pitched whine and looked down to see none other than Gobi staring up at me with big puppy eyes.

"You can't eat real food, so stop begging!" I rolled my eyes and continued with my culinary expertise.

If she had eyebrows I would have seen her raise one, _'Would you like to place a wager on that?'_

I rolled my eyes again. So she was being smart with me now, was she? I smirked and saw orange at the edge of my vision; I would just have to dish it right back to her.

"Okay, but only if you do a couple of tricks for me!"

She was not impressed.

"Sit!"

_'I am sitting.' _

"Oh. Right. Well, lie down then." I was surprised when she obliged.

"Um...roll over?"

Again, she obeyed.

"Beg!"

Obedience.

"Speak!"

**"Well now what is it you would like me to say?"**

"GAH!" I cried, almost upsetting breakfast.

**"I think you're supposed to give me some now."**

I just pointed at her with my spatula, "You just spoke! And not in my head!"

She cocked her head, **"Yes, you told me to. Now, I want to try some of that delicious-smelling stuff you call 'bacon'."**

"B-b-b-but, I didn't know you could do that! Why haven't you done it before?"

**"Really child, after all the stories your brother has told you about Ichibi, did you not think I could speak as well? And as for your other question, I felt there was no need to, before now."**

I was dumbstruck, "Oh...well I guess I just thought you were different." As I said this I realized how stupid it sounded. In response she just opened her mouth. I then remembered the bacon.

"Oh right!" I took a piece from the plate and flung it towards her and she deftly caught it.

As Gobi happily munched on her bacon, I heard someone coming downstairs. Not surprisingly, it was Gaara, already dressed in his outfit for the day, gourd and all.

"Morning, nii-san." He grunted in reply as he sat at the table across from where I was, head in his hands and rubbing his temples.

I shook my head; Gaara is (usually) always the first to get up, but he is definitely NOT a morning person. I quickly poured a cup of coffee and presented it in front of him with a plate of breakfast. "I made bacon and toast and a fruit salad, nii-san."

He looked up at me a smiled, "Thank you, Kiri."

I grabbed my own plate and sat across from Gaara. We ate in silence, admiring the sunrise through the large picture windows. I was content, and my eyes were emerald green as they are when everything is just perfect, like nothing was or could go wrong. However, my eyes turned a little blue as I remembered my situation.

"So, Gaara-nii, have you heard anything from-"

"I smell BACON!"

Gaara and I shared a look that said _'and here comes our idiot brother'_.

"Kankuro, you like to shatter any moment of peace that just happens to pass through this house, don't you?"

Kankuro grinned as he scooped almost the entire pan of bacon onto his plate, "What can I say Gaara? I just love being loud...OW!" He rubbed the back of his head.

I turned to see Temari standing at the foot of the stairs with one shoe on, "It still astounds me that I haven't kicked you out yet. Honestly, with all the noise you make, hardly anyone can sleep even if they _want_ to." She looked at him pointedly as she emphasized the last words.

He just smiled mischievously, ruffled Temari's hair, much to her protest and aggravation, and took his place next to Gaara.

Temari retrieved her shoe from where it landed and slipped it on before joining us, and the first words out of her mouth were: "What happened last night?"

Kankuro recounted everything I had told him, except for a few of the personal parts. With every word her spirit and body seemed to wilt. After he was done, she turned to me, "Do you really need to go to Konoha?"

I shrugged, "I think it's better than going to some random village because I already know a few people there. And it's not _that_ far." I smirked, "Besides, this way you'll get to see pineapple-head more!"

She blushed furiously and I knew she was her old self again. "And just _what _exactly are you implying?"

By now my eyes were a bright orange, and I couldn't resist pushing it further, "Lately you seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit on your ambassadorial trips to Konoha, and you _do_ talk about him all the time."

If possible her blush deepened, "Only because he's such a lazy cry-baby!"

Kankuro, of course, joined in, "But you _are_ enjoying your trips a little more than you used to. Why is that?" His smile was bigger than the Cheshire cat's.

"Th-the scenery is..."

"Oh the '_scenery' _is nice, is it?" He continued, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Look you, what I mean is-"

"Kankuro, you shouldn't pester our sister so; it's not her fault that she's suffering from sexual frustration."

I clapped a hand over my mouth in an attempt to stifle my shock and laughter. Kankuro almost passed his coffee through his nose and then he stared, mouth agape. Temari looked like she was ready to murder someone. And Gaara just sat there, casually finishing his breakfast like he hadn't said a word.

"Suffering from WHAT?" Temari practically screamed.

"I never thought you had a problem with your hearing, Temari," he said bluntly.

She jumped out of her chair, grabbed her fan and was about ready to knock Gaara senseless when he picked up his plate and encased himself in a sphere of sand.

"You little...! Just because you're the Kazekage doesn't mean you're not still my twerp of a brother!" She furiously attacked the sand, barely making a dent, "Which means I can still beat you, given the opportunity!"

"How about no?" came the muffled reply. A small hole in the sand opened up just long enough for Gaara to stick his hand out and snatch his coffee. Temari continued to beat at the sand and hurl insults while Kankuro and I simply watched. Gobi, bored with our loud, daily morning routine, was curled up in the corner.

"You know," Kankuro muttered to me, "she never denied what Gaara said."

I inched away from him, "Don't say it too loud! I'm not looking for a death wish, even if you are!"

He just chuckled.

Our noise came to an abrupt halt when there was a knock at the door.

"Kazekage-sama?"

Temari paused in her assault, fan raised, long enough for Gaara to slip by her and to the front door. He opened it to reveal none other than Takashi. He bowed, "Kazekage-sama, the response from the Hokage has arrived. I knew you would want to see it as soon as possible, so I thought I would bring it directly to you, if it pleases you."

Gaara nodded, "That is fine, Takashi." He held out his hand, into which Takashi deposited the scroll. While he read it, my siblings and I collected ourselves and gathered behind him, anxious to hear the response.

Gaara gave a very small sigh and rolled up the scroll. "It is decided then." He went over to a small desk near the door and spoke as he began to write a new letter, "The Hokage is going to allow you to stay in Konoha, for the time being, Kiri. You are permitted to keep your status as a sand ninja but you are to complete any missions assigned to you by her." He finished his letter and rolled it up to give to Takashi. "She also suggested, and I agree, that it would be wise for you to leave as soon as possible." He handed the scroll to the young man, "Send this back to the Hokage and spread the word to all of the council members."

Takashi nodded and bowed once more before giving me a small smile over Gaara's shoulder and leaving.

Gaara closed the door and turned to me. I hadn't noticed it, but Temari had been grasping my shoulders and her grip tightened.

"You had better pack," he said quietly.

I merely nodded.

"If you need to leave soon, you might as well go before it gets too hot. You might make it to the forest by then."

I just nodded again. I felt numb. I knew I had to leave, and leave soon but...now? When everything felt normal, like it was just another morning, it had to go and change.

Gobi had joined us and she nudged my leg and whined. I looked down, _'I had better make the best of what's left, hadn't I?'_

She just nudged me again.

I looked at Temari with blue eyes, "Temari-nee, will you help me pack?"

She smiled and nodded and as we traipsed upstairs I heard Gobi say, **"About my predicament..."**

xxxXXXxxx

When I had everything I needed, and a little bit more, packed, the five of us headed toward the main gate. Kankuro and Gaara were unable to figure out why Gobi could not leave her physical form, nor how to reverse it. Gaara wrote another letter to the Hokage explaining the situation, in the hope that she would have a solution.

We reached the entrance to Suna, and I could see the vast desert surrounding us. I turned to my siblings, the Sand Trio. They were known to many as a fierce ninja team and now one of them was the Kazekage. They all stood patiently, Gaara in between Kankuro and Temari. To anyone else, they looked like they were ready for everything. To me, though, they were everything I had known and everything I didn't want to lose.

I hugged Temari tightly. "Be careful, Kiri," she said softly, "and give that lazy cry-baby a smack for me, okay?" She grinned, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I nodded.

Kankuro came up to me next, "Don't let anyone push you around, okay kid?" He pulled me into a big hug, "I'm going to miss tormenting Temari with you."

I had to smile at that.

Gaara was last. Before he could say anything, I pulled out the box that held my present. "You forgot to open this, nii-san."

He was a bit surprised, but he took the present and carefully opened it. He smiled when he saw it. It was a plain black frame with a photo of the four of us I had taken of when I finally convinced Gaara and Kankuro to go on a picnic. We were all making funny faces, except for Gaara of course, who just gave a smile that clearly said he thought we were idiots.

"Thank you, Kiri..." he trailed off, as if unsure of what to say. He then wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug.

"Be strong, my sister. We will all miss you."

As hard as I tried, I couldn't stop a few tears from escaping. I hastily wiped them away. I looked again at the ones I held so dear. "I'm really going to miss all of you," I murmured.

"But it's not for forever," replied Gaara, repeating my words from the night before.

I smiled and hesitated, "Goodbye then."

I turned, slowly and began my journey. I didn't look back, not once, I just kept walking, Gobi beside me. I didn't look, as much as I wanted to, because I knew it would make it that much harder.

xxxXXXxxx

**A/N: **Hello!

I know that this chapter didn't really have much going on pertaining to the plot, but I wanted to add in something fun to show the everyday life of the sand siblings and to lighten the mood a bit. And just so you all know, there is a new poll I created that you guys should vote on. It's on my profile and it's just something for my own personal info so I know where I will go with the rest of the story. I have also hit a writer's block so hard that I may have a concussion, but I will try my best to get another update up, though it might be shorter. See you in the next update!

-Wolfie


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